The NBA is geared toward superteams rather than building from the ground up. While many will put the blame on the Golden State Warriors, the truth is, they achieved greatness the hard way, except Kevin Durant. It's easy to look at their roster and see Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant, Draymond Green, and now DeMarcus Cousins and say they “cheated.” But did they really?
The main core of the Warriors was drafted by the organization, and they won well before Durant and Cousins came aboard. But now, teams are trying their best to find ways to dethrone Golden State. The Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love took one in four years, but who's next to step up to the plate?
Looking around, teams like the Philadelphia 76ers with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Jimmy Butler have a shot, but will that core be enough? It doesn't feel like it, especially with the recent drama. The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron, but his supporting cast is just too young to reach the level that needs to be achieved to knock off the Warriors. The Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets were expected to be top challengers, but they've had their own issues this season.
Then we have the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, two teams that have been terrific this season. As good as they've been, it still feels like they don't have quite enough.
But could you imagine a scenario where Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard are joined at the hip?
Before the snickering begins, think about the possibilities. Leonard has not signed a long-term deal with the Toronto Raptors after being traded by the San Antonio Spurs. Despite their success so far, there is still a major concern he could bolt in free agency this summer. Maybe a title would convince him to stay, but he did win one in San Antonio and still wanted out.
Over in Milwaukee, the Bucks have been the best team in the NBA so far, but there are still questions about whether or not they have enough in a playoff setting to win it all.
Would a core of Giannis and Kawhi be enough to dethrone Golden State if its core stars stayed together? For starters, would the Bucks be able to convince Leonard to come? There would have to be some financial maneuvering involved. Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez are all set to be free agents, and keeping all of them may not be feasible unless steep discounts are taken. However, Milwaukee would gladly sacrifice one or two of these guys if it meant getting Leonard.
Pairing Leonard with Giannis would make life hell for the Warriors' elite offensive attack with their length and athleticism on the defensive end. Curry, Durant and Thompson may be all-world scorers, but they can be bothered by athletic, physical defenders. Leonard didn't win Defensive Player of the Year twice for no reason, and Antetokounmpo could be a DPOY in his own right.
That's before even considering Bledsoe and Middleton, who are long and athletic in their own right. While both may not be around in this scenario, even having one of them in place would only bolster Milwaukee's attack on both ends of the floor.
The battle in the middle would be especially interesting to watch as well. By adding Cousins, the Warriors all but assured themselves another title in 2019. However, if Cousins can prove he's worth a big contract, there's no way the Warriors can afford to keep him and their main core together after this season. This would give the Bucks an advantage if Lopez sticks around, though his renaissance as a 3-pointer has increased his value and could make him tough to retain.
Finally, a matchup between Giannis and Green looks good on paper, but as talented and relentless as Green is on the defensive side, the only player in the league who can stop Giannis Antetokounmpo is Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What this would boil down to is experience. While the Warriors have had their years as a core, the Bucks would look to challenge that with elite talent of their own, plus a little of their own championship experience.
Could it be done? Yes. But it all depends on Kawhi Leonard.
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