NBA Rumors on Lakers' Pursuit of Giannis Trade, What's LA's Plan to Land Bucks Star?

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly hanging onto their 2026 first-round draft pick as a potential trade chip toward landing Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

NBA reporter Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers, made that claim on Tuesday during a question-and-answer session with listeners (31:20 mark).

"My understanding is I think the Lakers are clinging to the [2026 pick] for a potential shot at [Giannis Antetokounmpo] this summer or into next season or whatever star potentially becomes available this offseason," Buha said (h/t HoopsHype).

"So that is a calculus within this of you could have three picks on draft night to trade which if...let's just say for argument's sake the Lakers have the 26th pick. You could theoretically or maybe back channel this like, 'Hey Milwaukee, if we give you this pick plus two other firsts plus sign-and-trade [Austin Reaves] and we make the money work...'

"Because it's the offseason, the typical CBA dynamics are a bit more flexible in terms of trades and you still have to get under the different aprons and caps at certain points, but there's a little bit more flexibility in the offseason, 'Hey, would you do Austin plus X, plus three picks for Giannis?'

"That's a conversation you could have and then you could draft technically like on behalf of Milwaukee."

The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo is a nine-time All-NBA player averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. He's currently out with a right calf strain but is expected to be back by early January.

Antetokounmpo has spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Bucks, but his time there could be nearing an end.

ESPN's Shams Charania has been at the forefront of Giannis trade talk, and he provided this news on Dec. 9.

"As reported last week, Antetokounmpo, who is out for several weeks because of a right calf strain, and his agent, Alex Saratsis, have opened discussions with the Bucks about the future and whether the best path forward is to stay in Milwaukee or be traded. The Bucks are 10-15 after losing 10 of their past 12 games and have spent most of the past few weeks at No. 10 or No. 11 in the Eastern Conference standings. Should the Bucks' slide continue, sources said discussions between Antetokounmpo's representation and the franchise will escalate and lead to a resolution before the Feb. 5 trade deadline."

It's no surprise that the Lakers could be interested, as the team is seemingly connected to every star at some point if they ever become available. An Antetokounmpo pairing with five-time All-NBA guard Luka Dončić for the rest of the decade could be unstoppable, and it's no surprise the Lakers could be interested in making that happen.

However, other teams will certainly be interested in Antetokounmpo, so the competition might be fierce. That being said, the Lakers are seemingly throwing their hat in the ring if Antetokounmpo does become available.