The NBA trade season is officially underway, with a bombshell dropping on the league on Wednesday. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to potentially be done with the franchise that drafted him in 2013, as he is currently talking with the team about his immediate future, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis have started conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future – and discussing whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere, sources tell ESPN. A resolution is expected in the coming weeks,” Charania posted.
All signs have been pointing toward Antetokounmpo forcing his way out of Milwaukee for quite some time now, but it seems as though things are heating up, as he could be playing for another team in the league sooner rather than later.
Lakers Might Be Able To Land Antetokounmpo
With this news breaking on Wednesday, the trade rumors are starting to swirl, and potential destinations for the one-time NBA champion are getting discussed.
As usual, the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of the Greek superstar is something diehard fans and members of the media are trying to figure out in terms of whether it’s possible and plausible.
With the Lakers landing superstar guard Luka Dončić in a blockbuster deal with the Dallas Mavericks last year, anything seems possible in the NBA today. However, the Lakers don’t have the assets to compete with other teams that are bound to show, or maybe that’s not the case, according to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report.
Here is the trade idea that Bailey proposed:
Los Angeles Lakers get: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks get: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht, first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032, and a 2031 first-round pick.
The acquisition of Antetokounmpo to join forces with LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Dončić in Los Angeles is enough to break the internet. They’d immediately become the favorites to win it all this season and perhaps next season, too.
However, the trade scenario mapped out by Bailey strips this talented Lakers squad of some of its depth, with Hachimura and Vincent being the costly losses, along with a promising young player in Knecht. This move would also significantly dent the team’s plans to develop young talent or acquire other players through trade in the future.
Despite all of that, if the Lakers can land Antetokounmpo without giving up Reaves and James, it would be a no-brainer, just as it was last year, when they gave up Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round draft pick in 2029 for Dončić.
It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out for the Lakers, as they are always a hot topic of discussion when big-name players become available via trade, even if the trade scenario is a stretch, as appears to be the case here with Antetokounmpo.
