Although the Golden State Warriors are just four games above .500 at the moment, things are looking up for them. Even after losing their second-best player, Jimmy Butler, to a season-ending ACL tear. Why should they be so optimistic?
Well, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently stated that the Warriors appear to be the clear favorites for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
Brian Windhorst says the most likely trade destination for Giannis is to the Warriors:
“If there is a deal thats going to be done before the dealine, in my belief, Golden State is the team to make that deal”
— Guru (@DrGuru_) January 30, 2026
That would be an obvious game changer for Golden State, who has been treading water for most of the season.
Of course, it would mean they’d be mortgaging their future to acquire a super duper star. However, given that their own star, Steph Curry, may only have a couple of seasons left in him, it may be worth it to have three more bites at the apple.
The Warriors are the clear favorites for Giannis Antetokounmpo
As far as a potential trade, Golden State can offer the Milwaukee Bucks up to four first-round picks and three pick swaps. They would also have to match salaries by trading Butler or Draymond Green.
However, if they were feeling especially ambitious, Golden State could try to pry Myles Turner away from the Bucks as well. In that scenario, they could also ship out Jonathan Kuminga to match salary.
He’d give Milwaukee a potential wild card who, at the very least, would allow them to get off of Turner’s questionable contract. In that case, Golden State woud get more bang for their buck in a Bucks trade—see what I did there?
Would the Warriors be a contender with Giannis?
It really depends on what they give up. If it’s Butler, Kuminga, and, say, Moses Moody plus picks, that wouldn’t change their rotation dramatically.
Yes, of course they’d be adding Giannis, but they wouldn’t be gutting their rotation player to do so. If they were to somehow get both Giannis and Turner, it would likely push Green to the bench but give them both more size and more shooting. A Giannis and Curry pairing alone might be enough to carry the Warriors to the playoffs.
They might even make them a top-4 team in the West. Still, I’d put them behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets to win the West.
But, considering they are in the bottom half of the West right now, landing Giannis could put them in the mix to contend. That makes a potential blockbuster trade worth it for Golden State.
