The Los Angeles Lakers immediately emerged as one of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s potential landing spots the moment the former back-to-back NBA MVP strongly hinted at his intention to leave the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s not as if Giannis is going to be demanding a trade anytime soon, but the seven-time All-NBA superstar made it clear that he won’t be staying in Milwaukee if he doesn’t win a championship in the near future.
Los Angeles Lakers Could Pivot to Giannis Antetokounmpo
At the moment, LeBron James is still the main man for the Lakers. However, there’s no denying that Father Time is already catching up to the four-time NBA champ.
This is exactly why LA recently paid Anthony Davis a whole lot of money to extend his deal with the team. This came out to the tune of a whopping $189.9 million for the next five years. Needless to say, the Lakers are all-in on AD as their heir apparent to LeBron and soon-to-be cornerstone superstar.
At the same time, however, LA still appears to be keeping its options open. According to NBA insider Mark Medina, the Lakers could look into Giannis Antetokounmpo’s direction if the Anthony Davis plan somehow does not pan out:
“The Lakers certainly could (make a push for Antetokounmpo),” Medina told GIVEMESPORT in an exclusive interview. “Before Giannis’ candor, the Lakers extended Anthony Davis’ contract in hopes to have clarity on whether he has what it takes to become LeBron’s successor. If not, the Lakers certainly won’t hesitate with repositioning themselves. To stress, though, this is way far down the line. The Lakers are optimistic both short and long term with Davis.”
As Medina said, this isn’t going to happen anytime soon. AD will get his shot in Hollywood if and when LeBron finally calls time in his career or if he opts to leave LA in the next couple of years. It is worth noting, however, that for his part, Giannis will be a free agent in 2025 if he decides not to sign an extension with the Bucks. At this point, though, this is all just speculation.
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