Programming note: Watch the pregame edition of Warriors Outsiders on Thursday night at 6 p.m. PT, streaming live on the MyTeams app.
Today is Feb. 20, 2019. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't slated to become a free agent until July 2021.
But it's never too early to discuss the Greek Freak's future, right? Are the Warriors already maneuvering to put themselves in position to sign him?
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Well, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic wrote a column on Monday examining how Antetokounmpo could end up in a Golden State uniform.
On Tuesday, Marc Stein of The New York Times took it one step further:
It’s undeniably true that Steph and Giannis are buddies who are both represented by the same agency (Octagon) and share a mutual admiration that has resulted in Curry and Antetokounmpo selecting each other first overall with the No. 1 overall picks as captains in the first two All-Star drafts.
I can promise you, furthermore, that the Warriors have internally mused about a run at Giannis — however futile it may prove to be — in the event they can’t convince Kevin Durant to re-sign this summer.
Golden State Warriors
Is your mind racing yet?!
There are a gazillion dominoes that would have to fall just right for Giannis to call the Chase Center his future home. But in order for something like this to come to fruition, a franchise has to start preparing years in advance.
If Durant does leave this summer, it will be fascinating to see how the Warriors respond. Depending on what they do, they might be telling the world they are making the necessary moves to pursue Giannis.
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Back in September 2016, the Greek Freak signed a four-year, $100 million extension with Milwaukee. Are the Bucks forever going to regret not giving the MVP candidate a five-year pact? As ESPN's Brian Windhorst wrote at the time:
It's a strong deal for the Bucks, who lock up the multitalented young star and leave their five-year designated player slot open for possible use on Jabari Parker next year when he is eligible to sign an extension.
The last part of that sentence is truly wild. We could laugh about it for days.
But for now, just enjoy tomorrow night's Warriors game vs. the upstart Kings.
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller