Does a Two-Time NBA MVP Belong with the Warriors?
The Warriors will be active in the free agency market and may look to make a bigger splash than fans expect. While their cap space has a hard limit to avoid going over the first apron, Golden State only has six players in their current roster. They may go for quantity over quality, but what if some pieces move to land an unexpected star? This particular player wouldn’t be a massive surprise addition, as his name has revolved around the Warriors during mid-season trade talks. Now that the offseason has kicked off for almost every team, is Golden State still able to land Giannis Antetokounmpo?
For a brief stint in time, ‘The Greek Freak' had expressed interest in moving to the Bay Area for Golden State’s sake. More specifically, he had mentioned the possibility of teaming up with Stephen Curry as something he’d be open to, and he’s not the first superstar to make such a remark. Some of the game’s best players, like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, have made similar comments in the past. The former materialized his wish and won two championships with the greatest shooter ever, while the latter has still kept that door open.
However, much has changed since Antetokounmpo publicly seemed willing to join Golden State. Stylistically, the 2021 champion wouldn’t fit Steve Kerr's shot-heavy system very well, but a long-tenured coach like Kerr would find a way to adjust that. The bigger issue with Antetokounmpo becoming a Warrior is more logistical. Unfortunately for Mike Dunleavy’s front office, the player is under contract for the next two years. So the team would have to send an appeasing package to the Milwaukee Bucks that beats out other interested teams that can offer more assets, like the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.
In the eyes of many, including myself, that would require a miracle. If somehow that miracle transpires, the Warriors would then take on another massive contract that has two years left and $120 million. That would make Antetokounmpo the third player on Golden State’s roster to get paid above $50 million during the 2026-2027 campaign, after Curry’s upcoming contract extension and Jimmy Butler. The rest of the finances would be ridiculously tight, as the team would have to make the rest of their roster with less than $50 million to fall under the luxury tax. Restructuring or trading away contracts could ease some tension, but the front office would still need some creative brainstorming. Unless something sudden changes, the pathway to acquiring the ultra-talented Greek forward seems too muddy for Golden State.
