Ramona Shelburne Suggests Warriors Might Need Klay or Draymond in Giannis Trade

It may cost the Golden State Warriors one of the key pieces of their championship core to land Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne told 95.7 The Game's Damon, Ratto & Kolsky (h/t Drew Shiller of NBC Sports) the Warriors have the best trade package of any team should the Bucks explore trading the league MVP. However, she suggested Klay Thompson or Draymond Green may need to be involved:

"[The Warriors] have the best package. People get so upset when I say that, but they do. They have the trade exception, they have (Andrew) Wiggins, they have this year's pick (No. 2 overall), they have next year's Minnesota pick (top-three protected in 2021, unprotected in 2022).

"Maybe you even have to talk about Klay Thompson or Draymond (Green) being in a package like that, too. But they have a great package if it comes down to it."

While trading Antetokounmpo, who is 25 years old and coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, may seem ill-advised for any franchise, there is a scenario where the Bucks may at least explore doing so.

If he turns down the supermax extension this offseason, the possibility that he becomes an unrestricted free agent and leaves the Bucks with nothing to show for it following the 2020-21 campaign is at least something to consider. Trading Antetokounmpo prior to the upcoming season would at least give Milwaukee the opportunity to land a number of noteworthy assets in return.

Antetokounmpo said he is not planning on leaving Milwaukee in September following the team's second-round playoff exit to the Miami Heat.

"It's not happening. That's not happening," he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. "Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season."

Shelburne also said she does not expect the Bucks to trade their superstar.

As for Golden State, losing picks in the next draft or two will not hurt as much as it would for other teams. The team is still in win-now mode after making five straight trips to the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019 before being riddled with injuries last season, and pairing Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry, and even just one of Thompson and Green would instantly put it among the title favorites.

The combination of Curry and Antetokounmpo would be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Curry is arguably the best three-point shooter in NBA history and requires defenders to pick him up well beyond the arc, while Antetokounmpo can only be stopped by packing the lane to cut off his drives.