Golden State Warriors: Is Giannis Antetokounmpo a feasible long-term target?

Could the Golden State Warriors actually target Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo? Recent reports suggest it could be a possibility.

The Golden State Warriors haven’t exactly been a team that has shied away from star power — at least during the duration of their dynasty. But could they feasibly target reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a couple of years?

This entire discussion began earlier in the week when ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne remarked on an episode of “The Jump” that the Warriors are “one looming threat” to sign Antetokounmpo.

She discussed how he and Stephen Curry are members of the same agency and are friends with each other. Of course, the actual construction of such a plan would be difficult and convoluted, but the interest is apparently there.

This isn’t even the first that we’ve heard about a possible Warriors/Giannis pairing.

Earlier in February, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Warriors would consider pursuing Antetokounmpo in free agency upon the expiration of his contract in the 2021 offseason.

Now, on the surface, this seems crazy. But in the ever-changing, unpredictable world of the NBA, anything is truly possible. After all, who would have predicted Kevin Durant jumping ship to Golden State two years before he actually did?

Could the Warriors pull off a similar situation here with Antetokounmpo?

To put it bluntly, the probability that Golden State could pull this off is very low. This isn’t the same situation as with Durant. For all intents and purposes, Antetokounmpo is very happy in Milwaukee for the time being.

Of course, that could change if the Bucks fail to build around him or Antetokounmpo decides that he wants to play in a bigger market. But for now, all seems well.

More importantly, however, this needs to work from a financial perspective. And with the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell all locked up long-term on large contracts, that should prove difficult.

In reality, the Warriors might have to rid themselves of two of those contracts to feasibly make a run at Antetokounmpo. It would be worth it, but that wouldn’t make it any easier to stomach.

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On top of that, the team would need to be incredibly selective as to which role players they hand money to. Essentially, they would need to follow the Los Angeles Lakers strategy and have a nearly-nonexistent bench to pair with their superstars.

And remember, this is even assuming that Milwaukee just lets him walk in free agency. The Bucks will undoubtedly offer Antetokounmpo a supermax contract next summer, but if he refuses to sign, the organization will have a difficult decision to make.

Do they spend the year trying to convince their star to re-sign fully knowing that they could lose him for nothing? Or do they decide to flip him so as to recoup some assets?

If the latter is the case, the Warriors could have a better shot at acquiring him. That would allow the team to free up some cap space — possibly by trading Russell and Green — and bring Antetokounmpo aboard without going through the painful free agency process.

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A sign-and-trade could also be a possibility for both squads, but again, that would require a similar set of circumstances.

Could any of these options feasibly happen? Yes, of course. In the unforeseeable future of the NBA, nothing is ever out of the question.

But Warriors fans should temper their optimism as it’s far from a likely scenario.

That said, such a transaction would likely be the most earth-shattering move in the NBA since Durant’s decision to join the Warriors back in 2016.

And the scariest thing is, Antetokounmpo could be even better than Durant was in Golden State.