Who Do Bucks Want in Giannis Trade? This Rising Star Could Be Key amid Warriors, Knicks Rumors
Depending on how quickly the Milwaukee Bucks want to resolve their situation with Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Golden State Warriors could have the pieces already in place to get a deal done for the two-time NBA MVP.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained on Thursday's episode of Get Up that while there will be many suitors for Antetokounmpo, including the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, the Warriors have the ability to build a deal around draft picks and could sweeten the pot with a young, improving player like Brandin Podziemski:
"The team you got to look at who can make a straight up trade, just a two-team trade with Milwaukee and make a compelling offer, is the Golden State Warrors. Primarily because they control all of their trade assets. If they were willing to offer all of them, that's four first-round picks, potentially a couple of pick swaps, plus some young players they're interested in including Brandin Podziemski, who is a Milwaukee native. If there are teams out there that can involve a third or fourth team to improve their offer, a team like Miami for example, and a team like the Knicks. I think that the Knicks can make a compelling offer, but it requires them to really abandon what they've got going now and then to go out and recruit third and fourth teams. Those are big hurdles to cross but I think the Knicks can make a compelling offer. And Shams mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves, he is not mentioning that for no reason. This is something from what I understand, Giannis has interest in. The Timberwolves don't have draft picks and don't have the young players, they've got to center around veteran players but that is something we should keep an eye on as well."
Per ESPN's Anthony Slater, people in the league cited Podziemski as a piece that "help nudge the needle" in Golden State's favor:
"The Milwaukee native is under contract next season at $5.7 million, the final year of his rookie contract. To help salary match, the Warriors could also absorb one of Milwaukee's other veterans owed long-term money, such as Bobby Portis (three years, $43.5 million remaining) or Kyle Kuzma (two years, $42.7 million remaining)."
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that Antetokounmpo is "ready for a new home" and the Bucks have started listening to "aggressive offers" that opposing teams have made.
The timing of a deal could play a huge role in this situation. If the Bucks are looking to get it done prior to the Feb. 5 trade deadline so they don't have to keep answering questions about it, that would seem to favor a team in Golden State's position.
A team like the Knicks, for example, can only offer first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2030 and 2032 to offer right now. They also have the Washington Wizards' first-rounder in 2026, but it's top-eight protected and highly unlikely to convey.
There has been speculation that the Knicks would look to bring in a team like the Portland Trail Blazers, who have swap rights with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030, to build up an offer for Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors, as things currently stand, have their first-round picks from 2026 to '32 that can be used in a trade. If the Bucks employed a strategy similar to what the Oklahoma City Thunder did when they traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, in which they acquired picks that didn't start conveying until two years after the trade, they could be set up nicely.
As great as Stephen Curry still is, he turns 38 on March 14. Antetokounmpo is only 31, but he has had at least four different calf injuries since the start of the 2024-25 season.
Podziemski doesn't necessarily stand out as someone with star potential, but he has shown himself to be a quality role player on a good team based on his first three seasons in Golden State.
The 22-year-old is on pace to set career-highs in scoring average (12.2 points per game), field-goal percentage (46.0) and three-point percentage (38.7) this season.
Milwaukee could also be in position to draft a future star in 2026. The Bucks currently have the eighth-best lottery odds in a draft that's loaded with talent at the top.
We just had a draft in which the Dallas Mavericks jumped up to No. 1 in the lottery despite having the 12th-best odds. If the ping pong balls go in the Bucks' favor this year, they could be set up nicely going forward if they are able to maximize the return in a potential Antetokounmpo trade.
