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The Warriors are in play for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and that in itself is a vindication of the organization’s longstanding big-picture strategy.
Years of future draft pick protectionism, asset management, and long-term salary cap bookkeeping have allowed the Warriors to compile one of the most compelling packages the Milwaukee Bucks could consider in an Antetokounmpo trade. Don’t hang the “Have a Chance at Giannis” banner just yet, but even creating a path for themselves is somewhat of an achievement.
The entire league is waiting to see what the Bucks do before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. He’s the biggest domino to fall, though the Bucks could ultimately decide to hang onto the two-time MVP and assess the landscape in the summer.
Earning a seat at the table, though, naturally creates some angst in the locker room. To acquire a player like Antetokounmpo, practically everyone outside of Steph Curry would have to be made available — especially players with big salaries.
Even Draymond Green, a franchise icon and four-time champion.
“I’ve been here for 14 years, I have no reason to sit and worry about leaving,” Green said after Golden State’s 131-124 loss to Detroit. “But if I’m traded, that’s part of the business. It is what it is. I ain’t losing no sleep, though. I slept great last night.”
Today
3 days ago
Friday, Jan. 23
Around this time in the NBA calendar, head coach Steve Kerr usually pulls some individual players aside to check in if their names have popped up in trade rumors. Jonathan Kuminga has a standing trade request. Brandin Podziemski is the type of young, promising player many teams covet, and would probably be a chip in a possible Antetokounmpo trade.
It’s understood that younger players who haven’t been through as many trade deadlines might feel a bit more uneasy than veterans.
“Yeah, I imagine a lot of the young guys are nervous,” Green said .”Because you’ve just never been a part of it. Your name has never been thrown in some rumors. I’ve seen it all. I’d imagine pretty nervous. But one day you learn to just control what you can control, and whatever’s going to happen, the cards are going to fall where they may.”
Gui Santos, the 23-year-old wing who scored 16 points against Detroit, downplayed the locker room’s sense of the pressurized moment. He said everyone understands that trades are part of the business, and he just takes things day by day.
Early in De’Anthony Melton’s career, one of his veteran teammates told him that whenever a superstar gets traded, it’s a reminder that everybody’s on the block. He has kept that lesson in mind through his eight-year career.
“Nobody’s above the program,” Melton, 27, said. “All you can do is just keep working on your game and keep figuring it out.”
Last deadline, in Utah, the Warriors swung the Jimmy Butler trade about an hour before tipoff against the Jazz. Kerr closed the locker room to the media so he could address his team, which was losing four players, including 2022 champion Andrew Wiggins.
It was a dramatic scene, one that ultimately preceded a rip-roaring, 23-8 finish to the season with Butler. Trayce Jackson-Davis remembers “not knowing what the heck was going on.”
“My first year, it wasn’t really that crazy,” Jackson-Davis told The Standard. “But last year, this feels like last year.”
Most players don’t want to get traded midseason. They typically like their situation. Many have families living with them, some have kids in school.
It would be hard for them not to think about the prospect of having all that uprooted. Especially with so much Giannis-related smoke.
“I wouldn’t say it’s uneasy, like it’s not like we’re thinking about it 24/7,” Jackson-Davis said. “But it’s on our minds. In the back of your mind, kind of. You still got to perform, still got to play, get better. But it’s definitely on our minds, and we’re definitely aware.”
The Warriors’ front office is working tirelessly to execute a deal that works for the team. Golden State can trade up to four first-round picks — 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032. General manager Mike Dunleavy, who was in New Zealand on a scouting trip this week, has said that his team’s valuable future first-round picks would be on the table for an impact player who can continue to perform in the years they convey. Antetokounmpo would qualify.
Green said he’s not going to interfere with management’s process, but his phone is always on and he’s willing to collaborate.
Until Feb. 5, whether or not the Warriors can strike, the rumor mill won’t sleep. Even if Green will.
“It’s no fun to see your name in a trade rumor or something,” Kerr said. “But it’s the job. We talk about that frequently. Not all the time, but we mention it. It’s a great job, but there’s also some difficult aspects. This is one of them.”