Warriors: Are we sure a Klay-for-Giannis trade would work?

From a contractual perspective…

First and foremost, it is imperative to note that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson’s contracts (as well as their respective teams’ salary cap situations) do not match up, making a straight-up trade completely impossible.

Not only that, but Thompson—the lesser of the two players—is actually making substantially more money than Giannis at the current stage of their contracts, so it would actually be the Milwaukee Bucks who would have to relinquish more assets in a proposed trade.

Even with the fear of Giannis leaving Milwaukee and the desire to receive assets in return for his services, there is a better chance that I walk on the moon than this lopsided trade coming to fruition for the Warriors. Giannis is Milwaukee’s most beloved athlete and remains the biggest ticket draw for sports fans in the area. There is simply no way the teams would be able to negotiate a fair trade that both the Bucks’ organization and the city of Milwaukee would stand behind.

Having gotten the monetary logistics out of the way, I want to take this one step further to discuss the actual basketball-side of the trade.