Feb. 4, 2026, 12:09 a.m. PT<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, several trades went down across the NBA, and with Thursday’s deadline just hours away, there could be more trades coming. Of course, the one player everyone still has their eyes on is Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n It won’t be easy for the Bucks to consummate what they would consider a satisfactory trade involving Antetokounmpo by the 3 p.m. Eastern time deadline on Thursday, but it could happen. Right now, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> seem to be the biggest suitors for the two-time MVP, with the New York Knicks<\/a> and Miami Heat<\/a> lurking.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> are thought to be another team that is intent on landing him, but they don’t have nearly enough assets right now to make such a deal happen. If Antetokounmpo ends up getting dealt this summer, however, they would reportedly become a “very viable threat,” per NBA insider Marc Stein<\/a>.<\/p>\n “No one is talking about the Lakers as a factor in The Giannis Sweepstakes right now because they\u2019re not a factor if a trade is going to happen by week\u2019s end. They don\u2019t have enough tradeable assets to join the in-season bidders.<\/p>\n “But if the Bucks do ultimately decide to take this saga into that spring \u2026The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34.<\/p>\n “There is little choice for the Lakers, heading into Thursday\u2019s deadline, except to stay patient and avoid deals that involve any long-term salary to maintain maximum flexibility for the spring. The hope for the purple-and-gold would then be to use their considerable projected salary cap space to be able to take in a contract like Antetokounmpo\u2019s via trade \u2014 or another expensive star if one shakes loose post-playoffs \u2014 to pair with backcourt cornerstones Luka Donc\u030cic\u0301 and Austin Reaves (who returned to action Tuesday night in Brooklyn after a 19-game injury absence). And dealing with the Lakers in such a scenario would almost certainly spare the Bucks from getting saddled with unwanted contracts.”<\/p>\n Once the new league year starts, the Lakers will be able to offer two future first-round draft picks, as well as the rights to their 2026 first-round pick, in any trade. At the same time, it is unknown if Antetokounmpo has or will have the Lakers on the list of teams he would be willing to be traded to.<\/p>\n