It has been a dismal season for the Golden State Warriors as the lack of superstar muscles led to the NBA's worst win-loss record in the current campaign. The NBA shutdown, caused by the coronavirus outbreak, only accelerated the Dubs' early exit from the competition but it the end it just might be a blessing in disguise.
The early pause enforced by the NBA could very well lead to the scrapping of the season altogether, and the Warriors have nothing to lose. Head coach Steve Kerr has already indicated that the collective mindset of his players is now trained to the next season, and rightly so.
Apart from not hurting when the season is canceled, Golden State could potentially benefit if the campaign is concluded without a champion. That would mean another frustrating effort for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Clutch Points, citing Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
And should that be the case, the Warriors will have a window open when the reigning league MVP enters free agency in 2021. That's understandable because Antetokounmpo has been with the Bucks for more than half-a-decade and an NBA ring remains elusive for him.
"If Giannis finishes his seventh season with no ring on his finger as his 2021 free agency approaches, perhaps he doesn't sign the supermax offer and gets a wandering eye," the report said.
The Greek Freak joining up with GSW will not come as a complete surprise. As Letourneau has stated, the mission to bring Antetokounmpo to the Bay Area has been decided a long time ago. It is no secret that the NBA champs have been working to seduce Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry leading the way.
That's like saying, the Warriors are well prepared to make a bid on the young NBA superstar, and more so when Kevin Durant departed last summer. According to NBC Sports, the plan is all set to be put in motion such as making an offer that Milwaukee will find hard to refuse.
One thing that the Warriors hope is that Antetokounmpo would opt not to sign an extension with the Bucks, which would then compel the latter to consider trade offers on their franchise player. That's because the alternative is letting the star walk for free when his contract expires in 2021.
This scenario playing out next summer will be favorable to the Bucks. As NBC has stated, the team has nothing to lose. If the offer made to Antetokounmpo is rejected, the Warriors can simply move forward and look elsewhere for alternatives.
It is expected, however, that GSW president Bob Myers will exhaust all the possibilities available to him to make Antetokounmpo wear the Warriors jersey the soonest. It will be a task tailored for him and he knows it will be a great challenge and it will cost a lot of money as the current deal by the star with Milwaukee is valued at $100 million.
