Giannis Antetokounmpo Warned Against Going to Lakers by Hall of Famer

The Los Angeles Lakers could really use an upgrade in their frontcourt, and one of the best big men in the NBA is starting to get mentioned in trade rumors. It’s been four disappointing seasons in a row for the Milwaukee Bucks since winning a championship.

The team got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs this season, but Giannis Antetokounmpo made his seventh-straight All-NBA First Team. He’s been frustrated with the Bucks’ struggles and inability to surround him with a championship-caliber team.

While he hasn’t requested a trade, there have been plenty of rumors surrounding his name. The Los Angeles Lakers would be a logical landing spot for Antetokounmpo if he wants to go to a big market, but Hall of Fame center and team legend Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think it’s the smartest business decision.

“I would tell him that, probably, a bigger market doesn’t matter. Social media is the market now. Giannis has made a name for himself on social media,” O’Neal said on the “Good Word” podcast. “If you go to L.A., 50% of your contract goes to taxes, more pressure and more stress. Being that he’s in control of that ship, he should go upstairs and be like ‘I want to see all the free agents, I want phone numbers and I want to talk to them.’ He should bring people to him. When I was coming up, it was small market was too small, probably needed to go to a big market. But now, every market is the same. Nobody cares what city you’re in, this ain’t the ’90s.”

Finances Likely Wouldn’t Be a Big Deal for Antetokounmpo

At this stage in his career, Antetokounmpo has made a lot of money. Once his current contract expires, he’ll have made $459 million in career earnings, and his next contract will likely be in the four-year, $293 million range.

By the time he retires, he might be close to a billion dollars in career earnings just from basketball contracts. The tax bill that would come in California would be similar for many states. If he’s torn between the Lakers and a team like the Miami Heat, Florida’s lack of state income tax might be a deciding factor, but it shouldn’t keep Los Angeles from at least being in the mix.

Antetokounmpo Would Be Difficult to Pull Off

The bigger problem with the Lakers potentially trying to get Antetokounmpo has more to do with assets. It’s hard to imagine the Bucks would accept a package surrounding Austin Reaves and some future draft picks for one of the five-best players in the NBA.

The only real hope the Lakers would have is if Antetokounmpo specifically wanted to play there. It’s rare for players to force their way to a specific team, so it’s hard to imagine he’d do that. The Lakers might be in a better position to make a run at Antetokounmpo next offseason. They’ll have more draft capital to work with, and there’s a chance that a player like Dalton Knecht takes a leap and becomes a more valuable trade asset.