Warriors: 5 trade packages for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Golden State Warriors Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade No. 2
- Warriors Get: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Get: Draymond Green, Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, GS 2020 1st (2nd overall), MIN 2021 1st (Top-4 protected), GS 2022 2nd, 1st round pick swap (2022-2023)
It all depends on the Bucks preferences. While the Warriors would love to have their next title contender feature Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green alongside Giannis, if the Bucks prefer Green, there’s nothing to say. Milwaukee could try and make a push for Klay Thompson, but the Warriors should have enough leverage to hold out unless Green or Wiggins is the centerpiece.
While Green is older (30) than Wiggins, he’s also under a smaller contract. His cap hit is just under $22.3MM next season and is worth about $7 million less per year than Wiggins’ contract. Granted, Green does have an extra year of guarantees with a $27.5 million player option for 2023-24.
From a competitiveness standpoint, targetting Green makes more sense for the Bucks since the next competitor will center around Middleton.
While Green’s length and athleticism pale in comparison to Giannis, they actually both have pretty similar games. They are incredible defenders, good passers, who struggle shooting.
A Bucks team built around Middleton and Green is no longer going to be the one seed in the East but should be guaranteed a spot in the postseason. Warriors fans know what Green is capable of doing in the playoffs and Milwaukee could dream of him replicating that dominance for them.
The Warriors could never admit this, but they might prefer to trade Green for Giannis (instead of Wiggins) as well. On defense, a Green and Antetokounmpo pairing would be unstoppable, but offensively, they’d both clog the lane for each other to drive and kick.
Plus, Green’s play style may not age very gracefully and they might enjoy moving the last couple years of that contract.
Wiggins isn’t a knockdown shooter, but is a more dangerous catch-and-shoot threat than Green, allowing Giannis to work more directly on-ball. Plus, Golden State doesn’t have to worry about Wiggins aging for quite some time.