It seems just about certain that the Los Angeles Lakers will try to trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. Whether that is the right or wrong move for them to make, it seems to be the Lakers’ way: swing for the fences and hope they knock it out of the park by landing a future Hall of Famer.

However, it is unclear whether Antetokounmpo would even want to play for the Purple and Gold. In a new article for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus mentioned a couple of nuggets that suggest the Greek superstar may not want to head to the Southland.

“Rumors can be fun, but also destructive. NBA culture is built around a certain level of gossip. Take it for that, knowing that such items aren’t coming from the first-hand source, in this case, Antetokounmpo.

“That said, there’s some buzz in the NBA that Antetokounmpo prefers the East Coast, which is closer to Greece (both by flight and, perhaps more importantly, time zone).

“Additionally, some claim that Antetokounmpo misses playing with players like Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who were partners in the 2021 championship run. That’s not to suggest he wants to get the band back together. Still, some suggest Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to play with a ball-dominant lead guard, preferring to be the primary engine driving his team’s offense (Holiday and Middleton were comfortable playing without the ball around Antetokounmpo).”

The Lakers obviously have a ball-dominant lead guard in Luka Doncic, who leads the NBA in usage rate, as well as another high-usage ball-handling guard in Austin Reaves. Plus, Antetokounmpo seems to give off the vibe that he isn’t the type of player who would want to form the type of superteams that LeBron James and Kevin Durant have frequently created.

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Antetokounmpo can opt out of his current contract in 2027, so the Lakers would need to be careful when it comes to trying to trade for him and make sure they have some sort of assurance that, were he to come via trade, he will sign an extension to remain with them beyond next season.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: New rumors suggest Giannis Antetokounmpo may not want trade to Lakers