The Milwaukee Bucks were ushered out of the playoffs on Tuesday by the Indiana Pacers by losing Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. For the third straight year, they have exited in the first round, and there will undoubtedly be speculation bubbling up about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with them.
After winning the 2021 NBA championship, they felt they had reopened their championship window by trading for star guard Damian Lillard just before the start of the 2023-24 season. But they have nothing to show for that deal, and now Lillard faces a long rehabilitation process after tearing his Achilles in Game 4.
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There are likely some Lakers fans who are hoping their favorite team finds a way to land Antetokounmpo. Former NBA player Carlos Boozer, who had a brief stint with the Lakers during the 2014-15 season, suggested the Greek Freak find a way to head to the Purple and Gold if he wants to win.
Antetokounmpo cannot opt out of his current contract until 2027, so he likely wouldn’t have any leverage if he asked for a trade this offseason. But even if the Bucks were to grant him a trade request, it would be very expensive for Los Angeles to land him, and the team is already thin beyond its best four or five players.
One also has to expect that after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a bargain basement price, the rest of the league won’t be willing to do any favors for the Lakers.
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But as the old saying goes, stranger things have happened. Antetokounmpo remains arguably one of the three best players in the world, but he is 30 years of age, and his biological clock is ticking. Given Lillard’s injury and the Bucks’ aging, decaying supporting cast, the two-time MVP may have to leave in order to be able to win another world championship ring.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Former NBA player says future Hall of Famer should move to the Lakers