Four-team NBA trade idea sends Giannis Antetokounmpo to Warriors, Draymond Green, Daniel Gafford to Lakers

Zach Kram came up with a wild NBA trade idea for ESPN. 

It’s a four-team trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. 

Warriors get: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Lakers get: Draymond Green, Daniel Gafford

Mavericks get: Gabe Vincent, 2031 first-round pick (via L.A. Lakers), 2025 second-round pick (No. 41)

Bucks get: Austin Reaves, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga (via sign-and-trade), Trayce Jackson-Davis, Maxi Kleber, 2029 first-round pick (via Warriors), 2031 first-round pick (via Golden State), 2030 first-round swap (with L.A. Lakers)

The Bucks will only trade Antetokounmpo if the future Hall of Famer requests a trade. 

As of this writing, Antetokounmpo hasn’t requested out of Milwaukee. 

“The Warriors are almost always in the mix for stars, and after trading for Jimmy Butler III in February, they could take an even bigger swing this summer to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry‘s extended prime,” Kram wrote. “If Antetokounmpo requests a trade to Golden State, the Warriors could simply reroute Butler, whose salary is a perfect match. But the Warriors could also build a matching package around Green and a host of young players, so let’s get truly wild with a blockbuster four-team proposal.

“The Warriors would sacrifice depth to construct a star-studded big three of Curry, Antetokounmpo and Butler. The Lakers would balance their roster by turning Reaves into Green — who has been involved in Lakers rumors in the past — and Gafford, improving their defense and adding a rim-running center who’s a proven fit with Luka Doncic. The Mavericks would trade from a position of strength (center) to add a future first and point guard help during Kyrie Irving‘s absence. And the Bucks would grab an assortment of promising young players and future picks in return for their star.”

The Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of this year’s playoffs, the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the first round, the Mavericks missed the playoffs and the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round. 

Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks this season for the Bucks. The two-time MVP and one-time Finals MVP will make $54,126,380 next season. 

Green put up 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks for the Warriors this season. The four-time champion will make $25,892,857 in 2025-26. 

Finally, Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.8 blocks for the Mavericks this season. The 26-year-old will make $14,386,320 next season in the final year of his contract.