The Lakers pulled off arguably the biggest trade in NBA history when they acquired Luka Doncic in February 2025. Could they make an equally explosive trade in the same calendar year?
With Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially on the move, teams around the league are said to be internally preparing to engage the Bucks. The Lakers aren’t viewed as a legitimate suitor due to their limited assets. Unlike the Spurs, Rockets, Raptors, and Nets — the top betting favorites to land Antetokounmpo — the Lakers are not flush with draft capital or young All-Star caliber players. Yet, they do possess a megastar in Doncic, who could be sent to Milwaukee in exchange for Antetokounmpo.
Several Lakers fans have urged the front office to do the unthinkable and swap Doncic for Antetokounmpo. One fan asked The Athletic’s Jovan Buha if he would consider the blockbuster trade idea.
Should Lakers Trade Luka For Giannis?
“I would not,” Buha responded on his podcast. “I think you could make the argument [that] Giannis is currently the better player.
“I don’t think that’s always been the case,” he continued. “Last year, you could make the case that Luka was better than Giannis…. They are pretty close, in my opinion, but the big factor for me is that Luka’s four years younger than Giannis. Giannis has been a beacon of health, but you wonder how long that can sustain. He’s been something of an ironman, but he has more mileage on his body, he plays a physical style.”
“I wonder how Giannis will age at 33, 34, 35,” he added.
Buha stressed that he’d rather bet on Doncic’s “long-term upside and the longer window.” Doncic will turn 27 in February 2026, while Antetokounmpo will turn 31 in December 2025.
It’s worth noting that the Bucks previously turned down the idea of acquiring Doncic when the Mavericks approached them about a potential swap. As such, they may not necessarily have interest in the Slovenian as their new face of the franchise.
How Lakers Can Land Giannis
The idea of the Lakers trading Doncic is far-fetched. Is there another pathway for the Purple & Gold to acquire Antetokounmpo?
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus earlier suggested a package headlined around Austin Reaves, but noted that it would pale in comparison to what other teams can offer.
“Does he [Antetokounmpo] want to join Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers?” Pincus wrote. “L.A. can build a deal around Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, filler contracts and marginal draft compensation (a future first, several swaps). More significantly, do the Bucks want to face a Dallas Mavericks-like backlash, sending their best player to the Lakers?”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the only way Antetokounmpo will become a Laker is if he requests the Bucks fulfill his wishes.
“The Lakers or the Warriors couldn’t win a bidding war if the market’s open — no way they could win a bidding war,” Windhorst told “The Dan Patrick Show” on May 19.
“If Giannis went in and said, ‘I want to be with Steph Curry. That’s who I want to play with.’ Is there a deal that could happen between those two teams? Yes. I would be lying to you if I told you the Warriors couldn’t trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Urged to Trade Luka Doncic For Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared first on Heavy Sports.