The NBA world was sent into a frenzy on Saturday night when the Dallas Mavericks sent Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal that saw Anthony Davis head to Dallas. It was arguably the biggest and most shocking trade in NBA history, with the 25-year-old and five-time All-NBA forward getting sent to one of basketball’s premier franchises.
Someone who watched the trade very closely and had plenty of thoughts was Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hailing from Greece, Antetokounmpo is one of the league’s other megastars that comes from Europe, alongisde Doncic and Nikola Jokic. And while Giannis has been happy in Milwaukee, cementing himself as one of the all-time great players in franchise and league history, his response to the trade is sure to call some things into question.
His initial reaction was that players need to always do what’s best for themselves and their careers, because it doesn’t matter what you’ve accomplished, an organization will move on from anyone if it serves their best interest. But he also spoke about how excited he is for a European star to be in a big market like L.A., according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic:
“Okay, let’s say something funny because I took it and spoke very serious… Now that a European will be, I believe, the face of the Lakers, this is something new for Europe. It’s never happened before. We had Pau Gasol, obviously he was a great player. And how do you say — Vujacic? Sasha Vujacic? — great guy, one of my close friends, but I mess up his name all the time. Now, I just love it. You know what I want? I want Luka to the Lakers, I want Jokic to the Knicks. I want all the Europeans to go to all the big markets to see something incredible. This is what I want. This is my dream. But again, I wish both teams the best of luck, wish all the players best of luck with their journey moving forward.”
Antetokounmpo is always one to make jokes like these in front of the media, but there’s no doubt that these comments could be a fire-starter for questions about his future in Milwaukee. Trade talks have loomed over Giannis before, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them again.
The Greek star does have two more guaranteed years under contract after this season, with a player option for a third year. It is worth noting, however, that the Lakers have a path to max cap space in 2027 and perhaps could look to pair Antetokounmpo with Doncic.
Luka Doncic Lakers jersey officially for sale
It may be a little while before Luka Doncic suits up and makes his Lakers debut, but in the meantime, fans are already able to buy his No. 77 Lakers jersey. The uniform went on sale recently and is sure to be a massive hit among fans and should vault Luka all the way to the top of merchandise sales.
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