The Los Angeles Lakers have yet to do anything, but it has already been an exciting trade deadline across the NBA.
While star-level players like James Harden, Darius Garland and Jaren Jackson Jr. have already been dealt, the biggest name still on the board is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Bucks struggling, it may finally be time to move Antetokounmpo to give him a chance to compete for titles before his best days are behind him.
There are a number of interested teams putting together packages to land the Greek star, but if the Bucks don’t get an offer to their liking then they could hold onto him for the rest of the season and revisit talks in the summer when teams have more to offer.
One of those teams is the Lakers, who only have one tradable first-round pick at their disposal now, but would have access to three in the summer. That’s not including pick swaps and second-rounders.
So with that being the case, NBA insider Marc Stein is reporting that the Lakers would become a viable option for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks if he is not traded before the deadline:
No one is talking about the Lakers as a factor in The Giannis Sweepstakes right now because they’re not a factor if a trade is going to happen by week’s end. They don’t have enough tradeable assets to join the in-season bidders.
But if the Bucks do ultimately decide to take this saga into that spring …
The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34.
There is little choice for the Lakers, heading into Thursday’s deadline, except to stay patient and avoid deals that involve any long-term salary to maintain maximum flexibility for the spring. The hope for the purple-and-gold would then be to use their considerable projected salary cap space to be able to take in a contract like Antetokounmpo’s via trade — or another expensive star if one shakes loose post-playoffs — to pair with backcourt cornerstones Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (who returned to action Tuesday night in Brooklyn after a 19-game injury absence). And dealing with the Lakers in such a scenario would almost certainly spare the Bucks from getting saddled with unwanted contracts.
This isn’t the first time the Lakers have been linked to Giannis, and it’s no surprise as the organization is always looking to find its next star.
That is especially the case now that they have Luka Doncic signed long-term as he will need a true co-star in order to compete for a championship.
Perhaps Antetokounmpo is that star, but in order for it to be possible, he has to stay put in Milwaukee past Thursday’s deadline. If he does, then things could get interesting this summer when the Lakers have the cap space and draft capital to pull off something big.
Giannis Antetokoumpo looks up to LeBron James
After the Lakers recently played the Bucks, Antetokounmpo spoke about his admiration for LeBron James and how he has paved the way for all of the league’s current stars.
“I think he is the blueprint for every athlete, not just basketball athletes, on how to be consistent. To be consistent for 23 years, to be available, to be a winner, to lead by example,” Giannis said of LeBron. “It is incredible for me to be around greatness and I will never take it for granted. I have the utmost respect for him and his family and the way he has carried himself for 22 years. I think he brings the best out of me as a player and he’s one of those guys that I definitely look up to.”
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