The arrival of Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016 enabled the Golden State Warriors to create a superteam that led them to the NBA Finals for three consecutive years and winning back-to-back championship titles. However, Durant’s stint with the Warriors didn’t last long after he decided to leave Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA free agency. Luckily, it may only be a matter of time before a superstar comes to the Bay Area again and joins forces with the Warriors’ championship core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
In his recent article, Jake Rill of Bleacher Report gave his predictions for the biggest free agents of the summer of 2021, including Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Though Antetokounmpo has said on numerous occasions that he wants to finish his NBA career in Milwaukee, Rill believes that reigning MVP would leave the Bucks to “assemble a superteam” in Golden State in the 2021 NBA free agency.
“But Antetokounmpo might need to leave Milwaukee to win an NBA title. And the Golden State Warriors have been ‘preparing for years’ to make a run at Antetokounmpo, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. Like Kevin Durant before him, Antetokounmpo will assemble a superteam with Golden State to make strong runs at numerous NBA titles.”
Though he still has lots to improve regarding his floor-spacing ability, Antetokounmpo would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Warriors. At 25, Antetokounmpo is already considered one of the best active players in the league. This season where he’s currently averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from beyond the arc, Antetokounmpo is once again a frontrunner to win the Most Valuable Player Award.
With his current performance on both ends of the floor, the Warriors wouldn’t mind paying Antetokounmpo a max contract in the 2021 NBA free agency. Pairing Antetokounmpo with Curry, Thompson, and Green would no doubt make the Warriors the No. 1 favorite to win the NBA championship title again. With Curry, Thompson, and Green already in their 30s, the successful acquisition of Antetokounmpo would also bridge the gap to the next era of basketball in Golden State.
So far, the Bucks are doing everything they can to prevent the Warriors and other teams from stealing Antetokounmpo in the 2021 free agency. Since the 2019 NBA offseason, the Bucks have revealed their plan to offer Antetokounmpo a massive contract extension this summer. Unfortunately, as of now, Antetokounmpo still hasn’t given the Bucks any assurance that he would ink a new deal after the 2019-20 NBA season or test the free agency market in the summer of 2021.