2 Trades Warriors Can Make After Losing Giannis Sweepstakes
2 Trades Warriors Can Make After Losing Giannis Sweepstakes
Will the Warriors make a big move now that the Giannis dream is dead?Joey Akeley|
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Golden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors have likely passed on several trade opportunities over the years to hoard their assets for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
In the end, their hoarding strategy didn't work. The Bucks didn't have interest in the Warriors' package at the trade deadline, and now Antetokounmpo is reportedly being traded to the Heat.
Now that the Antetokounmpo dream is dead, the Warriors should be more inclined to make a smaller-yet-still-impactful trade.
Here are a couple they can pull off, one of which they'd have to do now because it involves their 2026 first-round pick.
(Note: I went over a complicated trade idea for Trey Murphy III here. It's less realistic than the two below, so I left it off this article.)
Warriors Trade for Kawhi Leonard
Warriors get: Leonard
Clippers get: Jimmy Butler, 2026 No. 11 pick, 2028 unprotected first-round pick
ESPN's Anthony Slater reported that Clippers governor Steve Ballmer has "a firm stance against a Leonard trade."
But there are reasons to believe he could change his tune for the right trade package.
For one, Leonard is under contract for just one more season. There could be some concern he won't sign an extension and will be lost for nothing in 2027 free agency.
Aside from that, the Clippers traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac during the 2025-26 season, which means they are closer to a rebuild than they've been since acquiring Leonard.
Perhaps Ballmer is posturing with the hope someone offers the Clippers a bigger haul. In the end, I'd guess two first-round picks is the going rate for a soon-to-be 35-year-old with his injury history.
Leonard is the only Butler upgrade the Warriors can realistic trade for. The roster would still have several flaws, but any team with Stephen Curry and Leonard would be capable of a playoff run.
Warriors Trade for Anthony Davis
Warriors get: Anthony Davis
Wizards get: Jimmy Butler, 2027 top-11-protected first-round pick
The vibes in Washington don't seem great for Davis to have a long stay. He doesn't want to play for a rebuilding team, and the Wizards probably don't want to give him the massive contract extension he seeks.
The question is, do the Warriors want to give him that extension?
On the one hand, the Dubs have almost no money on their books past the 2026-27 season, so they can certainly afford to pay Davis. On the other hand, he's an oft-injured 33-year-old who will want his extension to go into his late 30s.
It's a difficult decision for the Warriors, and if they choose to make it, they will be all but telling the world they're not confident that Butler will return to form in the 2026-27 season.
When he's healthy, Davis is a dominant two-way player. The Warriors would use their 2026 first-round pick on a wing and go into the season with more size than they've had in ages.
Published 13 hours ago
JOEY AKELEYJoey was a writer and editor at Bleacher Report for 13 years. He's a Bay Area sports expert and a huge NBA fan.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
