© Benny Sieu | 2016 Nov 19
Maybe it’s just because everyone is bored, but the Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Warriors rumors have started to heat up in recent weeks. Golden State has reportedly been targeting the reigning MVP for some time, which should not come as a shock. That it could happen just four or five years after the Warriors landed Kevin Durant in free agency, seems more surprising.
Warriors fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, at least according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who laid out three convincing reasons why another coup from Bob Myers is not all that plausible. We recommend you read Slater’s piece, it is well worth your time.
Firstly, assuming the Warriors look to sign Antetokounmpo as a free agent next offseason, they’d be pitching him on joining a team with an aging core, one in which Curry (34 in 2021), Thompson (31) and Green (31) would be entering the back half of their primes, while Antetokounmpo (26 in 2021) is just entering his. What’s more, the Warriors would have to gut their roster to acquire him, and lose one of Green or Thompson. Joining a team with limited depth and an aging backcourt sounds far less enticing than when Kevin Durant joined a team of in-prime Hall of Famers.
It’s the Warriors’ current salary cap concerns that make up the second strike against the two parties pairing. The Warriors were able to acquire Durant in large part because Curry, Thompson and Green were all making less than $20 million during the 2016 offseason, not a single one with a salary among the NBA’s top 40. That’s not the case anymore.
Curry, Thompson, Green and Wiggins will make a combined $139.4 million during the 2021 offseason, with a salary cap currently projected at $125 million. That means there is no way the Warriors could sign Giannis should he hit free agency two offseasons from now.
A sign-and-trade would be possible, but doing so would once again trigger the hard cap, meaning the Warriors would have to offload Thompson in addition to Wiggins in order to have room to fill out the rest of the roster, which would have to be 11 league-minimum contracts. Does Giannis want to play with Curry, Green and 11 players on the vet minimum?
Slater’s last point revolves around the league’s salary-cap situation and the $25 to $30 million cap cut that is already being projected by the owners for the 2021 offseason. Should this happen, adding Giannis two offseasons from now would be out of the question. That would mean the Warriors would have to trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason, which doesn’t seem plausible.
Even if the Bucks didn’t think they could re-sign the Greek Freak in 2021, offloading him prematurely would kill their chances at making a title run next season, something that is very much on the table considering the Bucks currently boast a league-best record of 53-12. Additionally, doing so would completely alienate the fanbase, unless Antetokounmpo were to come out publicly and demand a trade.
That doesn’t seem likely, and neither do any of the other scenarios. This won’t stop the Warriors from going after arguably the league’s best player, and it shouldn’t, but if you’re holding out hope for this to happen, you should probably stop.