The Los Angeles Lakers have been the NBA home to perhaps more superstars than any other team in the league, and the most recent trade rumors suggest they are hoping to add another star in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose future with the Milwaukee Bucks remains uncertain.
Pairing Antetokounmpo with Luka Doncic and whoever is left on the roster after what would be one of the biggest trades in NBA history could prove lethal; however, the Lakers are still very far from that being a possibility.
But, they could still have their eyes set on the Greek Freak, and according to team insider Jovan Buha, Los Angeles could already be prepping for an Antetokounmpo trade that would likely come in the summer.
“My understanding is I think the Lakers are clinging to the [2026 pick] for a potential shot at [Giannis Antetokounmpo] this summer or into next season or whatever star potentially becomes available this offseason,” Buha said on a recent fan Q/A on his show.
After all the reporting and rumors on Antetokounmpo’s future, the prevailing sentiment is that the Bucks will wait until the summer to decide on their franchise star. For now, they seem set on doing everything they can to convince him to stay, but if that plan doesn’t work, the Lakers could be waiting in the shadows to offer a massive package for the two-time MVP.
Lakers Giannis Trade Rumors And Plans
Besides that 2026 first-rounder, the Lakers don’t have a ton of draft assets to offer for Antetokounmpo. If they were to make a deal, it would likely have to include Austin Reaves and a couple of other mid-level contracts, as well as a few other future picks and swaps.
“Let’s just say for argument’s sake the Lakers have the 26th pick. You could theoretically or maybe back channel this like, ‘Hey Milwaukee, if we give you this pick plus two other firsts plus sign-and-trade [Austin Reaves] and we make the money work,” Buha said.
But as mentioned, a deal for Antetokounmpo likely wouldn’t come until the summer, as both the Lakers will have a bit more certainty of the futures of Reaves and LeBron James, along with all teams across the league being a bit more flexible on what they can include in deals.
“Because it’s the offseason, the typical CBA dynamics are a bit more flexible in terms of trades and you still have to get under the different aprons and caps at certain points, but there’s a little bit more flexibility in the offseason, ‘Hey, would you do Austin plus X, plus three picks for Giannis?’”
“That’s a conversation you could have and then you could draft technically like on behalf of Milwaukee.”
In all honesty, a Lakers-Bucks trade that features Reaves and Antetokounmpo could be a win-win for both, assuming the Greek Freak’s relationship with Milwaukee is fully severed. They’d get back a star player on a max deal, while Los Angeles would go all-in on perhaps one of the best duos in NBA history.
More Realistic Lakers Trade Targets
Though at this point, an Antetokounmpo doesn’t feel out of the question for the Lakers, he remains the biggest player to potentially be traded by a long shot. More reasonably, Los Angeles has been looking to add a 3-and-D player to help fix some of their biggest issues on the defensive side of the ball.
Though the asking price has reportedly been too high, they could target either Herb Jones or Trey Murphy of the New Orleans Pelicans. Rumors surrounding those two have heated up recently, and though it would require sending back some assets the Lakers likely wouldn’t want to give up, either would be a major plus on this current roster.
The same sentiment is true about Andrew Wiggins, a wing, who Los Angeles has also been reportedly interested in over the past few weeks.
General manager Rob Pelinka and the front office have also been keen on adding either Lauri Markkanen or Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, and while one is on a max deal and the other could garner a similarly big contract, one of them also seems a bit unreasonable, especially considering Deandre Ayton‘s play through the first two months of the season.
The star trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, while looking good on paper, haven’t been the best group on the floor together this year. While Reaves would be the most likely to be moved out of those three, considering his value, there’s almost a certainty that he’d be sent out in a deal for Antetokounmpo, or any other big-name player, for that matter.
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