After a successful offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be in the mix of contending teams this upcoming season. However, the front office is also actively thinking about the future of the team and how to remain competitive whenever LeBron James decides to retire or leave.
Anthony Davis was at the forefront of that when he became extension-eligible and general manager Rob Pelinka wasted no time and signed him to a new deal. Now that Davis is cemented as a Laker for years to come, it is almost time to start thinking about a potential star to pair alongside him.
It seems that a big name may be on the market in the next couple of years, that being Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and if he were to leave, the Lakers and New York Knicks are said to be teams he would have interest in, via NBA insider Marc Stein:
“The Lakers and the Knicks are already being mentioned as franchises presumed to interest Antetokounmpo down the road if he does decide to move on from Milwaukee, which just made a slew of moves (re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez and replacing Mike Budenholzer as coach with Adrian Griffin) to try to appease its face of the franchise.
You can be certain, if nothing else, that The Giannis Watch is back on and, like it or not, will thrust his future back to the forefront of the NBA discourse after just three seasons of relative quiet that must have elapsed awfully quickly for Bucks fans.”
While it is very much intriguing to start buying into the idea of Antetokounmpo and Davis being the new iteration of the Lakers, there is still a lot of time before that becomes an option. The Greek Freak is under contract for two more season and then has a $51 million player option for the 2025-26 season, although that will surely be declined. But with his recent comments implying that if the Bucks aren’t in contention towards the end of his contract he will not re-sign, it seems that the door could be open for his potential departure for the first time.
Antetokounmpo could also ask for a trade prior to his contract expiring but it seems that he’ll give the Bucks two more guaranteed seasons to see if they can win more championships. It is worth noting that Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was a part of the Bucks coaching staff during their championship season and Antetokounmpo was someone who commended Ham for what he did in his time with Milwaukee. The two are said to have a very close relationship, which is just something to bookmark moving forward.
Time will tell what will happen in Wisconsin, but the Lakers would experience no drop-off whatsoever when James departs if they are able replace him with Antetokounmpo, so in the meantime fans can begin to dream of the possibility.
Austin Reaves joins James with latest great Team USA performance against Greece
Team USA is currently in the midst of FIBA World Cup play, picking up another win against a Greece team that did not feature Giannis. However, Lakers guard Austin Reaves made a little bit of history with his performance on Monday, joining his teammate James as the only Americans since 1994 to record at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a FIBA World Cup play.
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