Jimmy Butler III and Jonathan Kuminga, hampered by injuries, won’t suit up for the Golden State Warriors tonight when they host the Philadelphia 76ers. Draymond Green, on the other hand, will. He’ll don a Warriors jersey for the 1,092nd time, to make no mention of all the practices, media days, All-Star appearances, and preseason games.
It might be his last. It also might be the last for Butler and Kuminga, even if they’re only watching the game from afar.
Tonight is Golden State’s last game before
Thursday’s trade deadline. They play Thursday night, seven hours after the deadline, with the possibility of repeating last year’s emotional loss to the Utah Jazz, when the team was visibly distraught after trading away Andrew Wiggins and others.
Though there have been half-hearted rumors linking the Dubs to numerous players — Trey Murphy III, Michael Porter Jr., Pascal Siakam, the list goes on — it seems overwhelmingly likely that it’s Greece or bust for the Dubs. They’re trying to end Thursday with Giannis Antetokounmpo in their employ; they seem unlikely to make a charge for anyone else (though don’t be surprised if they make some small moves to shuffle the roster around).
For a long while — like, the last decade — Antetokounmpo was seen as a pipe dream. Even when it started to become clear that his time with the Milwaukee Bucks was nearing an end, it felt like there was no chance that the Warriors could find a way to trade for him. I wrote multiple times that the only path for Antetokounmpo to end up on the Dubs was for him to request a trade to Golden State specifically, and hope that he’d accumulated enough goodwill for the Bucks to honor that despite having better offers on the table.
But things have changed. The Bucks seeming to prefer draft capital over established young talent has shifted the equation in favor of the Warriors. Milwaukee entertaining a deadline deal — perhaps to help Antetokounmpo maximize his payday, or perhaps to rid themselves of an increasingly awkward situation as quickly as possible — further helps that equation; the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, initially seen as the two top suitors for the two-time MVP, are limited in the picks they can offer until the summer.
That has made the Warriors the favorites in some people’s eyes, though the vibe on Tuesday has been shifting to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whatever odds you give the Warriors, the simple fact remains: they’re in it, and there’s a significantly better than zero chance that Antetokounmpo is sitting on the bench at the artist formerly known as Staples Center on Saturday night when the Dubs visit the Los Angeles Lakers.
There’s not much the Warriors can do. If they’re serious about trading for Antetokounmpo — and by all accounts, they are — then everything is on the table. It’s not a matter of making offers so much as seeing if what they have is better than what other people are willing to part with. It starts with four first-round picks and a pick swap. It includes a whole lot of salary to make the trade legal. And it will likely include a young player or two of the Bucks’ choosing.
To make the salary match, the Warriors would have to either include Butler or the combination of Green and Kuminga. It initially seemed like Butler would be the potential outgoing piece, but momentum is shifting towards Green and Kuminga, instead. There’s been a lot of chatter about the Dubs making Green available — with Steve Kerr even acknowledging the noise and awkwardness — and according to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, the Warriors have “made it clear to Butler that they are going to stick by him as he begins a year-long rehab.”
It’s the Bucks choice, obviously. As Marcus Thompson II pointed out on KNBR earlier this week when asked whether the Warriors would prefer to part with Butler or Green, it’s just a matter of who Milwaukee wants, and who can get the deal to the finish line. The reporting about Butler, however, might suggest that the Bucks are leaning towards Green in a potential deal.
Losing Green would hurt for Kerr, Steph Curry, and a fanbase that still has not adjusted to seeing Klay Thompson in a different jersey. And losing Butler, who is likely a better fit alongside Curry and Antetokounmpo, would sting. Losing a handful of first-round picks, some of which will likely convey after Curry’s playing days are over, will make Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy’s future tasks daunting.
But that’s the cost of acquiring one of the three best players in the world. That’s the cost of chasing another ring that is starting to fade into the darkness. That’s the cost of making one last run while the greatest player in franchise history is still around.
It may not be enough. But they sure have to try.
