The Warriors aim at Antetokounmpo, and the Heat want it, but the former doesn t want to play for Riley

The smoke of the 2025 Western Conference Semi-Finals has not yet dissipated, and the Golden State Warriors have shown their trump card of the offseason's "arms race"!

At the season farewell press conference of losing to the Timberwolves 1-4, coach Cole and general manager Dunleavy made a high-profile statement, willing to win in the present and bet on the future.

Dunleavy said: "We are happy to give up everything, it depends on what we think will make our team better. The only reason to mortgage the future is that we don't want to give up the opportunity (winning in the present)."

The trade deadline for this season, the Warriors traded Butler, which made the Warriors record a qualitative leap, and finally ranked seventh in the West with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses.

In the first round of the playoffs, facing the young and strong Rockets, the Warriors finally defeated the Rockets 4-3 with their experience. When they were not for Curry's injury, it would be unknown who would lose and win in the second round of the series.

Although Dunleavy did not directly name Antetokounmpo, US media Brandon Robinson revealed that the Warriors have listed the two-time MVP as a potential target.

The Bucks have seen their performance fluctuations in recent years, and with the limited market in Milwaukee, the rumors of Antetokounmpo's departure have never stopped. However, the Warriors are not the only suitor - Heat president Pat Riley is also eyeing him, but he has encountered resistance due to past conflicts with stars (such as Wade, James, Butler).

Sources said: "Antetokounmpo has a grudge against Riley's tough management style, which may be the biggest obstacle to the Heat's signing."

Rile's relationship with the stars is a lesson learned from the past - Wade ran away due to contract differences, James wanted to leave the team due to control, and Butler broke up with the Heat due to contract renewal disputes.

In contrast, the Warriors signed Divinchenzo and Jamaicao Green with the "bad pick-up" strategy in 2022, and used a salary of $6.3 million to fill the gap in combat power of $14.3 million, which is a model of cost-effectiveness. Now, they are trying to replicate this model while retaining the possibility of a huge bet. The advantage of the Warriors is their chip flexibility. If you trade Antetokounmpo, they can package potential new stars such as Kumingga and Pojemsky and the future first round picks, and the core combination of Curry + Antetokounmpo + Butler + Green is enough to shake the league structure.

From the "Splash Brothers" to "Curry + Butler + Antetokounmpo", the Warriors' ambitions and anxiety coexist. Every step of the offseason may become a turning point in rewriting history.