The Golden State Warriors are in the middle of the NBA Playoffs as they look to take down the Houston Rockets in the first round. A big reason they're even in this position is due to the acquisition of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, but he wasn't the only star they called about. Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo was also on their wishlist.
However, as ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported, acquiring The Greek Freak is essentially impossible now after signing Butler to a long-term deal:
“The Warriors have long been viewed across the NBA as a top landing spot for the Bucks star. Giannis has long been on Golden State's wishlist, and the organization made a call to the Bucks at the trade deadline regarding Antetokounmpo, sources said. This was before acquiring Jimmy Butler and after their failed pursuit of Durant.
Now that Butler is in the mix and under contract long-term, trading for Giannis and pairing him with Curry would be impossible without moving Butler. Other teams have much better assets to offer up if Antetokounmpo was going to be on the move anyway.”
With the Bucks in a 0-2 hole against the Indiana Pacers, he could potentially request a trade this offseason. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is also expected to do so after his squad missed the playoffs altogether despite having a Big 3 of him, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.




Giannis even hinted at potentially leaving the Bucks earlier this season if they aren't competing for titles:
“I don't want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to be challenged. And if the challenge is here, which it is right now – we have a real challenge, people don't respect us, we have good group, it's good,” Giannis said , via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But we might not have a challenge one day. We might be rebuilding as a team, or we might not be chasing nothing.
“So, will my individual athlete be more important than the championship? This is a thing that maybe some players make a mistake. They stay in the place maybe too long.”
As Seigel pointed out, other teams could offer Milwaukee a much better trade package than the Warriors. Plus, Butler is clearly around for the long haul, so it doesn't appear we'll be seeing a Giannis-Steph Curry duo anytime soon.