NBA Rumors: GSW Should Consider Trading Klay Thompson For Giannis Antetokounmpo, According To Analyst
After suffering a huge disappointment in the 2019-20 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors are expected to find ways 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, rumors are circulating that the Warriors will be targeting another superstar this summer. Over the past months, the Warriors have been linked to several NBA superstars expected to be available on the trade market in the 2020 offseason, including reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks have already said that moving Antetokounmpo this summer is unlikely, but if the team changes that stance, the Warriors are one of the few teams that could make a Godfather offer. The Warriors could use Andrew Wiggins’ contract for salary-matching purposes and their own 2020 first-round pick and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick to sweeten the deal. Even if the Bucks asked for the inclusion of Thompson in the trade package, NBA insider Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports believes that the Warriors shouldn’t think twice before agreeing to the blockbuster deal.
“When you look at Giannis Antetokounmpo and what he is doing at this age when he hasn’t really figured out a jump shot yet, we are talking an all-time great player,” Haberstroh said. “So yes, if we are talking Klay Thompson with Andrew Wiggins in a package with the No. 1 pick, or whatever the top pick would be for the Warriors this year, I think that package you’d put on the table for Giannis Antetokounmpo because he is that good, he is that transformative and you put him with Steph Curry… It has vibes of 2016 and Kevin Durant coming to the Warriors then.”
Thompson is indeed one of the major reasons behind the Warriors’ success in recent years, but it’s not surprising that Haberstroh is supporting the idea of trading him for Antetokounmpo. The core of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, and Green may help the Warriors return to the Western Conference Playoffs next season, but it might not be enough to beat powerhouse teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in a best-of-seven series. Replacing Thompson and Wiggins with Antetokounmpo as Curry and Green’s new running mate would close the gap between the Warriors and the aforementioned teams, and they could even surpass them if the trio managed to build good chemistry.
Aside from helping the Warriors revive their dynasty, the potential acquisition of Antetokounmpo would also give the team a player that could bridge the gap to the new era of basketball in Golden State in the post-Curry era.
