Warriors trade ‘deal’ means Giannis NBA Deadline 2026 move ‘is over’

Photo of author

By cpawais140


The Golden State Warriors are trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, according to reports.

The mooted NBA Trade Deadline move is said to have come after the Warriors abandoned their interest in Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“They have clearly moved on with these moves,” Shams Charania told ESPN. “The Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo is over”.

NBA Trade Deadline 2026: Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors

The Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks are widely considered the frontrunners to sign Antetokounmpo if the 2019 and 2020 NBA Most Valuable Player ends his stay of more than 12 seasons with the Bucks.

Charania said the Warriors had made a “pick-heavy offer” last week, with talks continuing this week before they reportedly realized that the Bucks will not allow Antetokounmpo before the deadline.

He added that the Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis will join the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick that originally belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kristaps Porzingis stats

Porzingis, whose $30.7 million contract finishes at the end of the season, has played 17 times for the Hawks in 2025/26.

The 30-year-old has averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.3 blocks across those appearances.

A 2018 All-Star during his spell with the New York Knicks between 2015 and 2019, the Latvian also represented the Dallas Mavericks until 2022, the Washington Wizards until 2023 and the Boston Celtics until 2025.

NBA trade deadline deals: Giannis ‘cache’

NBA pundit Stephen A Smith accused Antetokounmpo of being “overly concerned with being the bad guy in Milwaukee” if the 2021 NBA champion leaves before the trade deadline, which is 15:00 ET (12:00 PT / 20:00 GMT) on Thursday, February 5.

“You’ve got to be OK with being the bad guy sometimes,” added Smith, voicing his excitement at a potential switch to the Knicks for the 31-year-old.

“It’s really not that bad – you should try it. He needs to look at them and say ‘yo, I want out.’ He’s giving them more control than they actually deserve, considering who he is and the cache he brings.”

Smith acknowledged the calf injury that is currently troubling Antetokounmpo. “When healthy, he’s one of the top five players on the planet,” he observed.

“When you’ve got that kind of cache and you deliver the championship for the franchise, you get to say ‘I want out – and I want to go here.’

“The only reason I change course is because of four calf injuries in the last 19 months.”





Source link

Leave a Comment