Just when it looked like Golden State had the clearest runway to land the biggest prize on the trade market, the door has slammed shut.
NBA insider Evan Sidery dropped the bombshell Wednesday: if the Bucks decide to move Giannis Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s deadline, the finalists are down to the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors? They’re officially out of the sweepstakes.
“The Heat and Timberwolves have been the Bucks’ main focus lately in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade negotiations,” Sidery reported, citing Shams Charania. “It appears to be down to Miami, Minnesota or staying in Milwaukee.”
The biggest roadblock? Milwaukee’s outright refusal to take Draymond Green back in any deal.
Marc Stein confirmed the Bucks have “shown a reluctance to acquiring Draymond Green in any potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package.” That forces Golden State into the complicated three-team scramble they wanted to avoid — something the front office has been desperate to sidestep.
Even though the Warriors can offer the cleanest haul of future draft capital (up to four first-round picks plus a swap) and have a perfect salary-matching piece in the injured Jimmy Butler, it still wasn’t enough to keep them alive.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton laid out what a dream two-team framework could have looked like:
- Warriors receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo + Myles Turner
- Bucks receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler + four first-round picks (2026, 2028, 2030 top-20 protected, 2032) + 2031 pick swap
It was the cleanest, most attractive package on paper — young talent, massive future picks, and cap flexibility. Yet Milwaukee still walked away.
Why? Because the Bucks appear content to wait until the summer.
By holding off, Milwaukee opens the door for an entirely new wave of suitors once the 2026 draft class becomes tradable. More competition = higher price. And with Giannis heading into his final contract year, he’ll have maximum leverage to steer his destination — something no team wants to gamble on right now.
So the team that could offer the most on paper just got eliminated in the final hours.
The Warriors’ once-promising Giannis chase has officially hit a brick wall — and the clock is ticking.