There have already been rumors that Giannis Antetokounmpo could be courted by the Golden State Warriors when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2021.
That would be a serious coup for the Warriors, who already have a great core and who already signed Kevin Durant in a similar fashion a few years ago. That move put the rest of the NBA in a holding pattern until Durant finally left for the Brooklyn Nets this summer.
Now with the league ready to get back to normal, the idea that Antetokounmpo could sign with Golden State and its cadre of superstars is extremely unsettling.
But according to a new rumor, the Milwaukee Bucks are not afraid of Giannis leaving for San Francisco.
In a story posted to Heavy.com by former longtime Sporting News NBA writer Sean Deveney, a source inside the Bucks says they aren’t looking forward to the Warriors potentially swiping their MVP.
Via Heavy.com:
It would be a tale for the ages if the Warriors could somehow pull off the same thing with Antetokounmpo as they did with Durant in 2016. Of course, literally nobody but Warriors fans would be rooting for that to happen. It also seems unlikely that Antetokounmpo would want to leave Milwaukee to be in the shoes Durant found himself in — as the outsider on a team that would never be his.
It’s too far in the future to think about Giannis leaving Wisconsin, even moreso given that the Bucks have said that they are expecting to offer Antetokounmpo a max deal in the future, making all of this a moot point. But rumors like this are what makes the NBA go ‘round, and so here we are. I wouldn’t bet on Antetokounmpo leaving.