NBA Rumors: GSW Consider Giannis Antetokounmpo As ‘Ideal Superstar’ To Carry Team In Post-Stephen Curry Era
Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the subject of various trade rumors in the past months. The Bucks have made it clear to the entire league that they have no intention of making Antetokounpo available on the trading block this summer. Yet, as long as the reigning MVP isn’t signing the massive contract extension, rumors will likely continue to swirl around his future in Milwaukee. One of the NBA teams frequently mentioned in rumors involving Antetokounmpo is the Golden State Warriors.
After suffering a huge disappointment in the 2019-20 season, the Warriors have been vocal with their plan to immediately return to title contention next year. Aside from making sure that their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will be in perfect shape before the start of the 2020-21 season, the Warriors are also reportedly planning to add a fourth superstar, and Antetokounmpo is considered their No. 1 target in the 2020 offseason. According to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors view Antetokounmpo as the “ideal superstar” that would lead the team in the post-Curry era.
“If Antetokounmpo becomes available, Golden State will do whatever it can to acquire him. It views him as the ideal superstar to carry it into the post-Stephen Curry era.”
The successful acquisition of Antetokounmpo would not only give the Warriors a realistic chance of winning multiple NBA championship titles and reviving their dynasty, but the reigning MVP could also bridge the gap to the next era of basketball in Golden State. Though he’s currently playing like a player with decades of NBA experience, Antetokounmpo is only 25. By the time Curry, Thompson, and Green are already at the near end of their NBA careers, the Warriors could pass the torch to Antetokounmpo and make him the centerpiece of the next title-contending team that they will try to build.
Whether it would be this summer or in the 2021 NBA offseason, Letourneau suggested that the Warriors could be ready to go all-in for Antetokounmpo. If Antetokounmpo declines to sign the massive contract extension this summer and becomes available on the trading block, the Warriors could offer a trade package that includes Andrew Wiggins’ lucrative deal, their own 2020 first-round pick, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick to the Bucks.
If the Bucks decide to wait for the 2021 offseason and Antetokounmpo expresses his desire to leave, Letourneau suggested that the Warriors could explore a trade package centered on the player that they are going to select using their own first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. However, Letourneau explained that the success of the Warriors’ acquisition of Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2021 depends on the performance of their lottery pick in the 2020-21 season.
