The Golden State Warriors had already positioned themselves for a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster before ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Milwaukee Bucks had begun listening to trade offers. “Golden State continues to be aggressive in looking to find upgrades before the trade deadline,” Mannix said. Butler, 36, is owed nearly $57 million next season, making his deal a necessary salary-matching component in any Giannis trade. Warriors’ Longstanding Interest in Bobby PortisPortis’ inclusion in Mannix’s reported framework is not new for Golden State. “Golden State has always been a team to monitor for Portis,” Fischer wrote in The Stein Line newsletter in June.