There is some anticipation building as far as the possibility that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will officially ask to be traded this offseason. If, or when, he does, there will undoubtedly be many teams that will be jockeying for the opportunity to land the two-time NBA MVP.
While the Los Angeles Lakers don’t necessarily need to land a player of his caliber in order to win the world championship next season, some of their fans are dreaming of a “Big Three” consisting of him, LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
If Antetokounmpo does become available and he expresses interest in coming to the Lakers, it will be difficult for them to put together a very attractive trade package, given their limited trade assets. But Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report speculated on what such a package could look like.
Via Bleacher Report:
“How hard Antetokounmpo pushes for what he wants (which, for the record, we don’t know) could add teams to the list who otherwise may not belong,” Pincus wrote.
“Does he want to join Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers? L.A. can build a deal around Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, filler contracts and marginal draft compensation (a future first, several swaps). More significantly, do the Bucks want to face a Dallas Mavericks-like backlash, sending their best player to the Lakers?”
After Doncic was sent to the Lakers for a very low price on Feb. 1, the entire league would likely be outraged once again to see the franchise that is basketball’s gold standard land yet another generational talent just several months later.
Antetokounmpo, 30, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks a game while shooting 60.1% from the field this season. The Bucks lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row, and their prospects moving forward are bleak, especially after star guard Damian Lillard tore his Achilles during the postseason.
It may be in Antetokounmpo’s best interest to force a trade. But it also may be in the Bucks’ best interest to trade him and get as many assets as they can in return.