The Definitive Argument for Golden State Warriors Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Stephen Curry didn't want to get existential in the aftermath of Jimmy Butler's season-ending injury. Maybe that's because facing the reality—that his Golden State Warriors were done playing the meaningful basketball he craves in his late career—was too hard to confront.

Now, with Giannis Antetokounmpo more available than ever ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, per ESPN's Shams Charania, Curry and the Dubs can replace denial and dread with one last glimmer of hope.

The potential trade acquisition of Antetokounmpo would make the rest of this Warriors season relevant, which it absolutely will not be if the team makes only minor moves or none at all. "Relevant" is a low bar, but who knows? Golden State caught lightning in a bottle when it won the whole thing in 2022, looked very dangerous after upsetting the Houston Rockets in the first round a year ago and could spark some of that title-worthy fire if Giannis heals up from his calf injury in time for a stretch run.

Butler's arrival at last year's deadline turned Golden State into an entirely different team, and he only played at a fringe All-Star level. What greater heights might be reachable with Giannis in the fold?

At the very least, no playoff opponent would relish the challenge of solving two-man action between Curry and Antetokounmpo.

That's to say nothing of the 2026-27 season, when a rebuilt version of the Warriors may feature bargain-bin veteran additions who sign up for roles on a contender in a big market with good weather. Assuming the Warriors send out several starters and rotation pieces to acquire Giannis, there will be minutes available. Al Horford had lots of options this past summer, and he picked the Warriors. Throw Antetokounmpo into the mix, and you'd better believe Golden State will reel in a few more "all things being equal, I'd like to play there" vets.

The shape of Golden State's near- and mid-term roster remains uncertain. Much depends on the outgoing package in any hypothetical Giannis trade. Butler's salary would be the cleanest match, but the Dubs were quick to insist they'd prefer to keep him after he tore his ACL. If Draymond Green has to be included in a package that would almost certainly feature Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, all four tradable first-rounders and additional swaps, it might rub some of the more sentimental fans the wrong way. Perhaps more importantly, any move involving Green would require Curry's sign-off.

This isn't so much about how the Warriors can swing a deal for Giannis. All that matters is that they can put forth a competitive offer, and that Antetokounmpo might prefer the next few years of his career to feature Curry.

And that gets us back to why all parties involved should want this.

Curry has never played with someone whose game could amplify his own to the degree Antetokounmpo's could. Kevin Durant was a similarly stellar name when he came aboard a decade ago, but his skill set was somewhat redundant. Giannis is the kind of physical, mismatch-smashing frontcourt force with which Curry has never been paired.

Maybe you could push back that the Damian Lillard-Giannis pick-and-roll fit was a little clunky in Milwaukee, and the same story would play out with Curry. But Steph's off-ball movement, space-hunting prowess and general ability to command defensive attention are all far beyond what Lillard's have ever been. The pick-and-roll reps that currently go nowhere because Green is no threat to score would become positively nuclear with Giannis rumbling downhill.

Two-man action aside, defenses scrambling to keep track of Curry sprinting around off the ball cannot also muster the resources necessary to build a Giannis-resistant wall in the paint.

On Jan. 20, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy told reporters: "Our picks will and have always been in play. To give up our picks, it's got to be meaningful to get something back. So, for that reason, there's only so many players out there that probably warrant putting stuff like that on the table."

To Golden State, Lauri Markkanen wasn't one of those players. Neither was Paul George, just to cite another rumored target from the relatively recent past. Butler is only on the roster because he'd cratered his own value to the point that the Warriors gave up only a single late first-rounder to get him.

Giannis is different. He's what they've been waiting for—the type of transformative star that can make them dangerous right now and function as a bridge to the post-Curry era. If Golden State isn't willing to put everything on the table for Antetokounmpo, every past instance in which it backed away from trade talks goes from a shrewd example of patience to outright cowardice.

In other words, if the Warriors don't go all in for Giannis, they were never really serious about giving Curry the career-closing run he deserves.

Over a decade ago, the Bucks and Warriors swung a deal involving Monta Ellis and Andrew Bogut. It gave Golden State a defensive identity, oriented the franchise around Curry and started a dynasty.

Another exchange between the same teams could end that same dynasty the right way.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.