Giannis May Not Be Interested In Joining the Warriors

Everyone in the league is wondering where Giannis Antetokounmpo will end up after this week’s trade deadline. The three teams that seem to be closest to landing him are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat. 

The Golden State Warriors have been aiming to land Giannis for years. Now could finally be their moment. The question is, does Giannis want to be a Golden State Warrior?

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported on whether Giannis is open to playing in the Bay. 

“League sources say that Golden State is aware of recent rumblings that Antetokounmpo can't be assumed to be as eager as he was once perceived to be to relocate to Stephen Curry's town and team. How credible are such rumblings? Presumably, only Giannis knows for sure. Yet I have heard from sources briefed on the situation that some in the know suspect Antetokounmpo could be turned off by the idea of joining an older team and/or facing the sort of criticism that Kevin Durant continues to absorb to this day about teaming up with Curry.”

The idea that Giannis wouldn’t want to play with Stephen Curry just because of the backlash that Durant received for joining him years ago is wild. The Warriors and Curry are in a completely different situation now than they were when they landed Durant. 

There are other, much more reasonable excuses for not wanting to join the Warriors. For example, he would be joining a nearly 38-year-old star on the decline of his career. The Warriors also don’t have a ton of other exciting pieces, and if Giannis is going to try to compete in the West for the first time in his career, he’s going to want some more ammunition. 

So while the Warriors might have the best pick package to send to the Bucks, if Giannis says he won’t extend with them, their offer is kind of a moot point.