The Los Angeles Lakers are undoubtedly going to look to make at least one change to their roster this offseason in order to become true championship contenders next season. The question is how they will go about that task.
They could look to do so by making minor or moderate changes on the trade market, but there is always that slim chance they make another huge splash after landing generational superstar Luka Doncic three months ago.
After the Milwaukee Bucks got dismissed in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with them is in doubt. There have been whispers that he wants out, and Zach Lowe said on “The Zach Lowe Show” that he has heard the Lakers could be one team Antetokounmpo is interested in getting traded to.
“Does Giannis ask out?” said Lowe. “If he does, does he have a list? I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the L.A. teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not a big market, but a glamour market, mid-size market. I think they threw Chicago in there. I can’t remember if Houston came up, it should.”
Antetokounmpo cannot opt out of his current contract until the summer of 2027, so he wouldn’t have any real leverage for a while if he asked to be traded.
“So first is like where does Giannis want to go and do they honor that? Because again, back to Damian Lillard, you’re not obligated to honor it. The second piece is then what does the bidding war look like?”
Obviously, Lakers fans would be thrilled if Antetokounmpo came to the Purple and Gold. Many consider him one of the three to five best basketball players in the world, and he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game while shooting 60.1% from the field this season. He has two league MVP awards and one NBA championship and finals MVP award to his name, and at age 30, he’s at the height of his individual powers.
But acquiring him would likely cost the Lakers a ton of assets and leave them with a very thin supporting cast around him, Luka Doncic and (presumably) LeBron James. That type of roster would, in all likelihood, not be able to win it all, as it would have perhaps even more deficiencies than the team’s current roster.
