The Definitive Argument For Los Angeles Lakers Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Giannis Antetokounmpo buzz resurfaced when the former NBA MVP deleted Milwaukee Bucks content from his social media.
Soon after, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are discussing with the team "whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere."
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have exceeded initial expectations, winning 15 of their first 20 games behind one of the best backcourts in the NBA featuring Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Should the Lakers stay the course, building upon early-season success, or do whatever it takes to pair Antetokounmpo with Dončić in Los Angeles?
The following breaks down what it might take, the pros and the cons, etc. [Spoiler Alert: It's a yes on the Antetokounmpo/Dončić team-up.]
What Might It Take?
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The first question is price. What would it take for the Lakers to get Antetokounmpo from the Bucks in trade?
While buzz in NBA circles has the 30-year-old preferring the New York Knicks to Los Angeles, and perhaps more importantly, Milwaukee is highly reluctant to move its franchise player, let's go with the premise that the Bucks consider all offers, and a deal built around Reaves and a 2031 first-round pick stands out as their best option.
The Lakers are limited by their first-apron hard cap to a maximum payroll of $195.9 million. Going with the assumption LeBron James isn't willing to relocate (he has a no-trade clause), the Lakers would need to send out two starters in Rui Hachimura and Reaves. The additional salaries include Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht and one of Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent.
With L.A. losing a guard in Reaves, the priority would be to keep Vincent over Vanderbilt (who is outside of coach JJ Redick's rotation). That may be a challenge given his $37.3 million due through 2027-28 (player option before the final season), but one the Lakers must fight for to field a roster as competitive as possible through the rest of the season.
Pencil in two more Antetokounmpos (Thanasis and Alex) accompanying their All-Star brother to Los Angeles. The Lakers would send two-way Chris Mañon to Milwaukee to open space for Alex. Los Angeles can take back one more player from Milwaukee, either Amir Coffey or Cole Anthony. The Bucks would need to cut two more to make room for Knecht and Kleber (perhaps rerouted to a team like the Brooklyn Nets).
Assuming the deal goes down around the trade deadline (February 5), the Lakers would have to dance around the 14-man roster requirement, ultimately signing two players in mid-March to round out the roster, finishing within $300,000 of their apron restriction.
The Bucks would lobby for first-round swap rights, but that's complicated by the fact that both franchises owe picks in alternate years. The Lakers would counter that Reaves is one of the NBA's top scorers and (in all likelihood) an All-Star this season. A compromise could be a swap in 2032, provided Milwaukee takes Vanderbilt.
Can the Lakers Win with What's Left?
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Assuming the Lakers get Coffey from Milwaukee as a supplementary wing defender/shooter, the team boasts four guards (Marcus Smart, Bronny James, Dončić, and Vincent), two centers (Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes), four wings (Jake LaRavia, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, rookie Adou Thiero, and Coffey), Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a still-impactful-despite-his-agent-multi-positional force in LeBron James.
Along with three two-ways (Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr., and Alex Antetokounmpo), the Lakers would scour the free-agent/buyout markets to round out the roster.
From a point of view, Antetokounmpo is a step up from Anthony Davis, the primary player sent to the Dallas Mavericks in the Dončić trade. The most significant loss is Reaves, Hachimura, and depth. The Lakers forfeit shooting, playmaking, shot creation, and depth.
Still, Antetokounmpo dramatically improves the team's ability to defend and score around the basket.
Even if the team can't quite get the pieces to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, getting to the pairing of Antetokounmpo and Dončić with James' contract coming off the books this summer puts the franchise in a strong position to build a true contender.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 on December 6, should help open a contending window for the Lakers for several years (though the team would need to get him under contract long-term, given he can opt out after 2026-27).
Regardless, if the answer is no, the Lakers won't have enough depth to win post-trade; do the Lakers have enough on the roster now to get out of the West? As great as the Dončić/Reaves backcourt has performed for the team, L.A. has a lot to prove together in the postseason.
Getting Antetokounmpo now is similar to landing Dončić ahead of last year's deadline. Cornerstone franchise players are hard to come by, and while Reaves may be that for the Lakers, Antetokounmpo is widely considered a top-5 NBA player.
As much as the team loves Reaves, this is a move it would be compelled to make.
What's Next?
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While general manager Rob Pelinka said before the season that he'd like James to retire with the Lakers, the buzz around the NBA is that this will be his final season in Los Angeles (whether he decides to continue playing or call it a career).
With Antetokounmpo and Dončić under contract, a projected $166 million salary cap and just a few players, the Lakers could reach about $36 million in cap room (depending on where their 2026 first-round pick lands). That figure shrinks to about $24.7 million if Ayton ($8.1 million) and Smart ($5.4 million) opt in.
Bronny James' $2.3 million is half guaranteed, but wouldn't have a significant impact on the team's flexibility either way. The team would also have the $9.4 million room mid-level exception to round out the roster.
Some of the top free agents could include Trae Young, Coby White, Quentin Grimes, Keon Ellis, Ayo Dosunmu, Bennedict Mathurin (restricted), Jalen Duren (restricted), Walker Kessler (restricted), Tari Eason (restricted), among others.
Based on early results this season, Ayton and Smart appear to be keepers. The former would seek a raise; the latter could opt out to give the team additional spending power, re-signing for part of the Lakers' room exception.
Without the Antetokounmpo trade, the Lakers project to have between $43 million and $54 million in spending power, with Reaves' $26.5 million cap hold as an unrestricted free agent. At this point, Reaves may command maximum money ($41.5 million starting salary).
The Lakers may aspire to keep Reaves, offering to take Antetokounmpo via trade into cap space in July, sending out players like Knecht, Vanderbilt, Thiero etc., along with the team's 2026, 2031 and 2033 first-round picks (plus a swap in 2032). But this doesn't work if Antetokounmpo pushes for a trade elsewhere before the February deadline.
It also assumes the Bucks prefer draft compensation to acquiring Reaves, with the understanding that the only way he stays with the Bucks is on a new max contract.
If L.A.'s dream trade targets (Nikola Jokić and Antetokounmpo) aren't realistic, the team would need to find the right pieces to provide spacing and protect the basket around the Dončić/Reaves tandem.
If the Bucks are willing to do Antetokounmpo before the deadline for Reaves, the Lakers wouldn't have as much to spend to complete the roster. Still, the team would boast a better balance between offense and defense than on the current path.
The hurdles start with the Bucks, who aren't obligated to move their franchise star. If Milwaukee is willing to accommodate his wishes, the Lakers would need Dončić to get in his ear (Antetokounmpo would have to push, and push hard, for Los Angeles).
Reaves has broken out as a top-tier guard in the league (on and off the ball). The Bucks may not find a better player in return, but is the team willing to embrace the fallout that hit Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks for sending Dončić to the Lakers?
It may be a tough sell, but it's an opportunity the Lakers have no real choice but to explore.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.
