As the Golden State Warriors attempt to maximize the final seasons of superstar Stephen Curry's career, it seems as though any and every move to improve the team's roster is on the table.
However, while fans are likely intrigued by the impending sweepstakes for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mark Willard of 95.7 FM The Game has provided a sobering assessment of the team's potential pursuit, saying "I'm out on Giannis to the Warriors... It does not make sense at this time. My goal is never 'championship or bust.' My goal is annual relevance. I want sports in this city to be awesome and fun all the time."
While it is unlikely that the Warriors would be able to acquire Antetokounmpo in the first place, given their lack of depth of young talent on their roster, Willard's statement serves as a reminder that fans' unlikely hopes may be just that.
Warriors can't afford to sell the farm at this crossroads
Antetokounmpo, who averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists and received MVP votes last season, is still one of the best players in the league at 30 years old. His ability to take over games and conquer opposing defenses has kept the Milwaukee Bucks relevant well past their championship window.
As this current era of the Bucks likely comes to an end, however, as a result of their second straight first-round playoff exit and a potentially career-ending Achilles injury to Damian Lillard, Antetokounmpo could ask to move to a team where he would have a chance to win another championship.
However, on the part of Golden State, such a deal would require, at the very least, the selling off of their immediate young talent, such as Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, as well as a haul of their future first-round picks.
Apart from this upcoming draft, the Warriors do own their next four first-round picks. However, dealing some or all of these selections could leave the team in a hole too big to climb out of.
While Antetokounmpo would immediately launch the Warriors into the sphere of top contending teams, Curry is 37 years old with two years left on his current contract.
Were Golden State to somehow acquire Antetokounmpo, what would be left following Curry's, and Draymond Green's, inevitable retirement? Antetokounmpo would be in roughly the same spot that he is now with Milwaukee: bereft of young talent and with no obvious path to a championship.
Therefore, Willard makes an intriguing, and sobering, point. The Jimmy Butler experiment, apart from Curry's disastrous playoff injury, has worked so far, and, with the right pieces around them, this veteran core can compete for a championship while maintaining some sort of future for the franchise.
