Warriors predicted to beat out Lakers for $175 million superstar via four-team trade

Warriors predicted to beat out Lakers for $175 million superstar via four-team trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will soon become fierce competitors during the offseason.

>Why? Because they’re widely expected to pursue the same assets. While some of those contributors are serviceable role players, others are game-changing stars that will be hot commodities on the trade market.

>Take the Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example. The two-time MVP will have plenty of suitors at his disposal, with the Warriors and Lakers being among them. In Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz’s opinion, the Warriors will beat out the Lakers for Antetokounmpo’s services via a blockbuster four-team trade.

>“The Warriors are the headliners here (in a hypothetical trade sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Warriors, Kevin Durant to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler and a 2026 first-round pick to the Houston Rockets, and Julius Randle, Brandon Podziemski, Donte DiVincenzo, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2032 first-round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks) trading for two-time MVP Antetokounmpo to pair with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, keeping the title window cracked open,” Swartz wrote last Friday.

>“Minnesota finally lands the star they previously pursued in Durant, while the Rockets reset with a different star and get back into the first round of the 2026 draft. The Bucks receive a combination of win-now veterans, a high-upside guard, and three first-round picks, including a lottery selection next month.”

>While Antetokounmpo prefers the Eastern Conference over the Western Conference, it would be difficult for Milwaukee to refuse a trade package like Swartz’s. Acquiring three future first-round picks and four valuable role players would give the Bucks all the pieces they need to begin their rebuild positively.

>From the Warriors’ standpoint, it goes without saying that pairing Stephen Curry with Antetokounmpo would give the franchise the best possible chance to dethrone the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference and contend for a title.

>Antetokounmpo, a two-way phenomenon who’s mastered the art of getting downhill while using minimal dribble moves, averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 62.4% from the field in 35 outings.

>Landing the former lottery pick in a four-team deal is unlikely, but it could surprisingly wind up being the only way to bring him to the Bay this summer.

>More NBA news:

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