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It seems like the wheels are starting to move as far as a potential trade that would send Giannis Antetokounmpo to another team. The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly starting to listen to trade offers for the superstar, who is currently out with a calf strain.
The Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks are thought to be the teams that have a real shot at landing the two-time MVP. Fans in Southern California have been hoping that the Los Angeles Lakers will acquire him, but there has been no real indication that the Purple and Gold are on Antetokounmpo’s list.
But Howard Beck of The Ringer said on a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” that the Lakers could be a candidate to acquire Antetokounmpo.
“I was told recently that the Lakers were a team to keep an eye from Giannis’ standpoint just as another team of interest. But, again, there’s a difficulty there in terms of trade assets. They’re another team where, once the summer comes, they got more on the draft capital side of things and they got more clarity once they figure out where LeBron [James] is or isn’t and where Austin Reaves is because he’s a free agent.”
It seems like a virtual certainty that Antetokounmpo won’t be traded to L.A. before the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline. But this summer, the Lakers will be allowed to trade two future first-round draft picks, as well as the rights to their 2026 first-rounder.
Milwaukee could always wait until the offseason to deal Antetokounmpo in order to get the best return possible for him. The Lakers will certainly not have the best package to offer Milwaukee for him, but as the world saw with last year’s Luka Doncic trade, anything is technically possible, especially if Antetokounmpo insists on playing alongside Luka Doncic.