© Kyle Terada | 2017 Mar 18
The Warriors have caught the big fish before, can they do it again?
According to some around the league the answer is yes. After pulling off one of the most shocking free agency signings in history by landing Kevin Durant in 2016, the Warriors are a threat to sign reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo when he hits free agency in 2021, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on The Jump, Tuesday.
“The one team lurking out there — I don’t know how this would happen — but the Warriors have always been the big threat to go after Giannis,” she said.
“It would be a difficult construction to make happen, but that is the one looming threat,” Shelburne said. “It comes down to what kind of guy is Giannis. What does he want his legacy to be? Is he the kind of guy who stays with one team his entire career and tries to bring a championship to Milwaukee or does he pull a Kevin Durant and go join a group of super friends?”
Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) on @espn’s The Jump- “Giannis to the Warriors could happen if he enters free agency” Giannis is set to receive a super max deal next summer, but it is possible that Giannis does opt to test free agency in 2021 instead of taking the super max. pic.twitter.com/koZte0Qdvk
— Amsal Madhani (@AmsalM_NBA) September 17, 2019
This is the second report in a calendar year linking the two parties. Marc Stein wrote in February that the Warriors have ‘internally mused’ about making a run at the Greek Freak in the near future:
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.
Antetokounmpo, 24, averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season, and is a three-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive selection.
