The Los Angeles Lakers preferred flexibility over long-term contracts this offseason to pair Luka Doncic with another star in their post-LeBron James era.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee remains in doubt, ESPN’s Shams Charania recently reported. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic also raised a few eyebrows over his decision to postpone extension talks with the Denver Nuggets until after next season.
Lakers fans have dreams of pairing one of them with Doncic. But trading for either of the superstars, should they become available, will be a challenging pursuit for the Lakers, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Getty Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets could become free agents in 2027.
“Do I think either is realistic as a trade target? No, not really. The market would need to be way suppressed by a player saying they would simply walk to the Lakers in free agency, so 28 other teams shouldn’t even consider bidding, and still the Lakers’ offer would be thin,” Woike wrote on his Aug. 13 mailbag.
As it currently stands, the Lakers only have one first-round pick (2031 or 2032) and their 2032 second-round pick available to trade and over $100 million expiring salaries, if you include LeBron, who opted into his $52.6 million player option.
Woike points out 2027 as the biggest summer for the Lakers.
“Now, 2027 in free agency, should either Giannis or Jokić make it there, could be interesting, especially if Dončić has the kind of season the Lakers expect out of him,” Woike wrote.
Lakers Not Punting for Stars
But while the 2027 free agency class could potentially be headlined by Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Lakers president Rob Pelinka made it clear they are not punting to chase a star to pair with Doncic, who will turn 27 in February.
“Make no mistake, we’re in win-championship-now mode always, but I think —
I don’t want to bore people with apron talk that the basketball public has had enough of that. But in the new system that we’re in, having optionality is key to building teams,” Pelinka explained during the Aug. 2 press conference that officially marked Doncic’s extension deal. “I think we have seen some teams get stuck in the aprons, and once you’re in them, it’s hard to get out of them.”
But Pelinka left the door open to trading for a star if it is the right move.
“And we’ve been very intentional with keeping our optionality to make [win] now moves if there are good [win] now moves to make or to have sort of our flexibility in the future, “he added. “But I say all that the optionality is there for us to use now if the right move comes our way. We want to make smart moves, but to be in a position of flexibility versus being stuck is really promising for how we’re going to build this team moving forward.”
No Long-Term Money Offered
The Lakers avoided offering long-term money this offseason aside from Luka Doncic‘s three-year, $165 million maximum extension.
Their other moves this offseason were only two-year deals each to Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart.
Both Ayton and Smart have player options on the second year of their deals. LeBron James‘ $52.6 million will come off the books after next season. The Lakers can have as much as over $100 million in cap room next summer to chase a star in free agency, headlined by James and Kevin Durant (if he doesn’t agree to an extension with the Houston Rockets).
Will the Lakers’ gamble pay off?
Only time will tell.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers’ Blockbuster Star Trade Hopes Face Harsh Reality Check appeared first on Heavy Sports.