It is starting to feel like now or never for the aging Golden State Warriors.
After an injury-ravaged season viewed by many as a wasted opportunity during Stephen Curry’s 17th NBA season, the Warriors have shifted firmly into go mode. With the final years of Curry’s brilliant career unfolding, the franchise recognizes the urgent need to deliver its 38-year-old point guard a legitimate co-star capable of chasing a fifth NBA championship.
Enter Giannis Antetokounmpo. The disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks superstar appears eager for a fresh start, and according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, the Warriors are squarely in the mix for a potential trade this summer—though executing it will be anything but straightforward.
The Trade Package Realities
Marks outlined the significant hurdles Golden State would face in assembling a viable offer. Due to the Warriors’ payroll structure, pulling off a deal for Antetokounmpo would require creative and costly maneuvering.
“Golden State would be hard-pressed to cobble together enough matching salary and still have flexibility in adding to the roster,” Marks wrote. “Because of the lack of sizable contracts beyond Curry and Jimmy Butler III, Draymond Green and his $27.7 million salary would be required to make any Giannis deal work.”
Curry, Butler, and Green are projected to constitute 79% of the Warriors’ payroll next season. That leaves a thin supporting cast of lower-salaried players—including Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Al Horford, Will Richard, and De’Anthony Melton—each earning less than $13 million. Complicating matters further, Green, Horford, and Melton hold player options and cannot be traded unless they opt in to their current contracts.
Any package sent to Milwaukee would likely center on Green as the primary salary anchor, supplemented by multiple younger assets and future draft compensation. The result would be a stripped-down roster around Curry and Antetokounmpo, testing the organization’s ability to build depth on the fly.
Steve Kerr’s Return Signals Commitment
The return of head coach Steve Kerr, whose contract expired at the end of the 2025-26 season, reinforces the Warriors’ aggressive stance. Rather than signaling a rebuild or transition, Kerr’s presence indicates the franchise is unwilling to wave the white flag on the Curry-Kerr era just yet.
Pairing the two-time MVP Curry with the two-time MVP Antetokounmpo would create a devastating offensive-defensive two-headed monster. Curry’s elite shooting gravity combined with Giannis’ unparalleled athleticism, rim attack, and versatility could immediately recalibrate Golden State’s standing in a loaded Western Conference.
However, the NBA landscape has evolved. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder has provided a modern blueprint emphasizing quality depth, wing athleticism, and balanced roster construction over reliance on a star-heavy Big Three with minimal support. A Curry-Antetokounmpo core would offer unmatched star power, but sustaining success would demand rapid, intelligent roster rebuilding around them.
Time Is of the Essence
The Warriors cannot afford further experimentation. Their 2021-22 championship run succeeded as a borderline gamble, blending Curry, Green, and Klay Thompson with emerging young talent. That magic has been difficult to recapture. Since then, the team has largely hovered around the play-in level. Key young pieces from that era—such as Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga—are no longer with the franchise, and the development pipeline has not produced a dependable co-star in time for Curry’s late-30s window.
Jimmy Butler, acquired in a previous trade, remains sidelined and is not expected to return until around next season’s All-Star break at the earliest. That timeline is incompatible with Curry’s clear desire to compete for another title immediately.
Whatever the final package looks like, the Warriors must move decisively. A successful pursuit of Antetokounmpo would represent one of the boldest swings in recent franchise history—potentially transformative, yet carrying enormous risk given the salary commitments and lost assets.