Trade rumors involving Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Golden State Warriors have grown rampant over the last few weeks and will continue once the NBA Finals conclude, the NBA Draft arrives, and free agency follows shortly after that.
On Tuesday afternoon, an appearance by Antetokounmpo on the West coast is already drawing everyone’s attention.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo fuels Warriors trade rumors with SF appearance
Giannis Antetokounmpo was reportedly scheduled to meet with the Milwaukee Bucks sometime this week in order to address the future of the franchise and his role in it.
Since the Bucks have been eliminated from postseason contention at the hands of Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, rumors have been growing about whether Antetokounmpo will be continuing his playing career in Milwaukee or if he’ll look elsewhere.
During a Google event in San Francisco on Tuesday morning, Antetokounmpo made a surprise appearance and caused the rumors to grow even more.
It is important to note that Giannis Antetokounmpo has a multi-year endorsement deal with Google, and has been appearing in a number of Google Pixel ads over the last few years.
Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228 million deal with the Bucks in 2020 and followed that up with a three-year, $175 million deal in the 2023 offseason. He presently has three years left on his contract, including a player option for the 2027-28 season worth $62.8 million.
Clearly, whoever trades for Giannis Antetokounmpo will need to put together significant contracts to match what the Greek forward is making.
According to ClutchPoints NBA reporter Brett Siegel, the Warriors would have to trade Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, something the the team is reportedly not interested in doing.
“There is no clear path to the Warriors potentially pursuing the Bucks star, as doing so would almost certainly require them to move Butler or Green for cap reasons. Golden State won’t be moving either star, barring a seismic event or change.”
There will be a lot of times for things to unfold here, with the NBA Draft, free agency, and even the dead of the offseason leading into training camp for all parties to decide what they want to do and how they want to proceed. Until then, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Milwaukee Buck.