The Warriors are in the center of the NBA spotlight after Jimmy Butler went down for the year with a torn ACL. The league is closely monitoring Golden State with great interest to see how the franchise will pivot in order to give Steph Curry another realistic shot at a championship. The NBA’s complicated trade rules mean a big move before the February 5 trade deadline is difficult to anticipate, but the offseason is a whole different ballgame.
To that point, NBA insider Jake Fischer shed some light on what the Warriors are thinking after the Butler injury as it relates to their offseason machinations. As it stands, the Dubs don’t have plans to trade Butler and his max salary. However, that could change if any big fish trade candidates become available.
“Sources say that the Warriors naturally do plan to feature prominently in the trade mix for Milwaukee's Antetokounmpo if he truly becomes available via trade this offseason while also exploring the prospect of teaming James with Stephen Curry at last once LeBron becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 30,” Fischer wrote for the Stein Line newsletter.
What fun that would be. A parntership featuring former rivals James and Curry has long been a favored imaginary future for many basketball fans, and nearly came to fruition in 2024 when Golden State tried to trade for The King at the deadline. Watching the two dominate at the Paris Olympics only sparked more intruige among the basketball community about what the stars could do over the course of a full NBA season and playoffs.
But James’s future has never been murkier. The 41-year-old is in the midst of his 23rd season. As Fischer mentions, he’s set to become a free agent in June, but will he even be interested in playing again? If so, would he prioritize staying in Los Angeles, where he’s spent the last eight years of his life? If not, what does James value most— a shot at playing alongside Curry or a better, easier path to another title?
There’s just as much uncertainty about the possibility of landing Antetokounmpo over the summer. The last year resulted in a lot of rumors about the Greek Freak potentially asking out of Milwaukee given how much worse the Bucks’ roster is this season. But he recently came out and adamantly stated he’d never demand a trade. That doesn’t mean he'll never be traded, but it isn’t as clear-cut how he would leave the Bucks compared to how other disgruntled superstars got out of their subpar situations in the past.
Antetokounmpo figures to be a wonderful match with Curry on the court if he did become available. But the Warriors would be hard-pressed to outbid other interested parties if the Bucks put Giannis on the block. The team’s most valuable trade assets this summer would be their future draft picks and Butler’s expiring deal. If Jonathan Kuminga sticks around and shines in replacement of Butler over the course of the year then maybe he’d have value to the Bucks, but right now he’s a distressed asset.
The 2026 offseason is a long ways off and a lot will change for everybody mentioned in this story before free agency kicks off in the summertime. But this is a fun possibility to keep an eye on.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Warriors to Explore Landing LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo This Offseason.
