The Los Angeles Lakers’ goal of improving their front line could pass through Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
As trade rumors heat up around the two-time MVP, the Lakers could use that opportunity to land a center.
NBA insider Anthony Irwin shared a scoop on Saturday about how the Lakers’ search for a quality big man has pushed them into trade talks centered on the Bucks’ want-away superstar.
Lakers Hope To Get Isaiah Stewart by Joining the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Negotiations
The Lakers don’t have a center under contract after the end of the 2025-26 season. Deandre Ayton, the starting big man, has until June 29 to decide on his $8.1 million player option.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger predicted a week ago that Ayton would opt out to become an unrestricted free agent.
Whether Ayton stays or not, the Lakers need frontcourt help.
Luka Dončić candidly told interviewers during a recent promotional tour in Madrid about what the team should prioritize in the offseason: “a big man who can run the pick-and-roll and jump,” and would prefer “centers who can jump high and block shots.”
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Irwin shared how GM Rob Pelinka has been trying to address that need.
“The Lakers, I am told, have been in conversations with Milwaukee, with Detroit. With Detroit, the Lakers have apparently been talking to them about Isaiah Stewart and his availability and what his price would be especially if Detroit was involved in this (Antetokounmpo) trade and land Tyler Herro.”
“… The Lakers, I’m told, have been in touch with Milwaukee about potentially facilitating this deal,” Irwin noted.
Sources: The Lakers have been in contact with the Bucks and Pistons as a part of a potential multi-team deal that could send Giannis to Miami. Isaiah Stewart is a name that keeps coming up in connection with the Lakers. (For @joinoffside) pic.twitter.com/ruhkL0FxJC
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) June 20, 2026
In a potential multi-team trade involving the Bucks, the Detroit Pistons, and the Miami Heat, Antetokounmpo would go to South Beach, while Herro would land in Detroit, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Herro’s departure to the Pistons would create a financial crunch, as his $33 million salary for next season could complicate Jalen Duren’s extension.
Duren’s next deal “could exceed $40 million annually,” according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Should Detroit acquire Herro in a potential Antetokounmpo trade, Stewart could be a casualty, a situation that the Lakers are looking to reportedly pounce on.
The 6-foot-8 “Beef Stew” is a little undersized in the middle, but he is scrappy, and everyone knows he will not back down from anybody. Stewart loves to do the dirty work, a role Ayton was hesitant to do.
After a loss to the Orlando Magic in February, Ayton vented his frustrations with the Lakers, and said, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” a player who starred in years past as a lob-catching and rim-running partner to James Harden (Rockets) and then Trae Young (Hawks).
The Lakers, who finished this past season with a 53-29 record, have a long offseason to make crucial decisions.
They hope to retain Austin Reaves (player option) and probably LeBron James (unrestricted free agent).
Stewart isn’t a marquee name, but he and any frontline help are also on top of their shopping list.
