Could the Los Angeles Lakers actually pull off a potentially landscape-shifting trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that will see Giannis Antetokounmpo take his talents to Hollywood?
At the onset, it does sound highly improbable. However, considering how previous reports indicated that Giannis himself would have “interest” in potentially joining the Lakers (or the New York Knicks) should he decide to jump ship, this once-unthinkable prospect has now become believable.
NBA Rumors: Lakers-Bucks Swap Superstars?
For one particular NBA executive, the Lakers do have a path toward recruiting Giannis to LA. However, they will need to give up a whole lot to get this deal done. The anonymous source believes that the Lakers will need to send Anthony Davis to Milwaukee in exchange for Antetokounmpo:
“I don’t see (the Lakers) getting LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Giannis all together on a team,” the executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “Either LeBron is retired at that point or you swap out Giannis and Davis. Davis is a Chicago guy, he was open to a trade to Milwaukee before. Davis, when he is healthy, is not really much behind Giannis and some would argue he is ahead of him.
“It’s just the health. If the Lakers wanted Giannis, they’d have to convince Milwaukee AD is healthy, then make the trade. It is just too much money to try to sign him in free agency, if LeBron is still there.”
“To me, they’d have to trade him for Davis, that’s the only way he gets to L.A.”
In terms of trying to make sense of a mind-blowing blockbuster trade, this scenario actually has merit. There’s just no way the Lakers can form a LeBron James-Anthony Davis-Giannis Antetokounmpo Big 3, but if LA really wants to land the former back-to-back NBA MVP, it would have to be in their post-LeBron James era.
For what it’s worth, LeBron is still under contract through 2025 (with a player option next season), which is the same time Giannis’ current deal runs out with the Bucks (assuming he doesn’t sign an extension next summer). The timeline seems to fit.
Then again, the above scenario argues that the Lakers aren’t likely to lure Anteotkounmpo to LA in free agency, which means that a trade is a more likely scenario. The big takeaway from the unnamed executive’s statement is the fact that Anthony Davis “was open” to a potential move to Milwaukee. The source did not provide any details about this bombshell, but if it’s true, then surely, it makes this superstar swap even more probable.
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