The Los Angeles Lakers landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s preferred list should he ask out of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Ringer’s Howard Beck dropped the latest rumor surrounding Antetokounmpo’s potential landing spots on “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast on Tuesday.
“I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the LA teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not a big market, but a glamour market, mid-size market,” Howard said. “I think they threw Chicago in there. I can’t remember if Houston came up. It should. So first is like, where does Giannis want to go and do they honor that? Because again, back to Damian Lillard, you’re not obligated to honor it.”
There is no bigger market than Los Angeles and the Lakers, who can help Antetokounmpo grow his burgeoning business portfolio on top of enhancing his chance to win a championship.
The Lakers are looking for a lob partner for Luka Dončić. Antetokounmpo will easily fit that role and more.
However, the Lakers are short of draft capital. Any Antetokounmpo trade package would start with Austin Reaves, whom the Lakers highly value and made untouchable in past trade talks, including the Dončić deal.
Giannis Badly Wants a Second Ring
Antetokounmpo will turn 31 in the middle of next season. The Bucks have no draft capital to reshape the roster around him this offseason. His big-picture interviews since he signed an extension with the Bucks have spoken about his desire to win another championship.
“I’m trying to win a second ring,” he told his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the “Thanalysis Show” in April. “Everybody plays to win, but me not having a second championship… I look back at my career, and everybody can say, ‘He had an amazing career,’ first-ballot Hall of Famer, but me personally, if I’m not able to win a second ring, I’m letting down myself.”
In a February interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Antetokounmpo hinted that he’s open to relocating.
“Don’t fall into your comfort zone,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to be challenged. And if the challenge is here, which it is right now – we have a real challenge, people don’t respect us, we have a good group, it’s good. But we might not have a challenge one day. We might be rebuilding as a team, or we might not be chasing nothing.
“So, will my individual athlete be more important than the championship? This is a thing that maybe some players make a mistake. They stay in the place maybe too long.”
Carlos Boozer Urges Giannis to Join Forces With Luka
Former NBA player Carlos Boozer urged Antetokounmpo to join forces with Doncic in Los Angeles if he wants to win a second ring.
“If Giannis doesn’t want to come back to Milwaukee and it’s really up to him if he wants to stay or doesn’t want to stay that would revitalize the Miami fan base. But for me, if I’m Giannis and I don’t want to go back to Milwaukee, maybe you go play with Luka… if you want to win,” Boozer said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on April 29.
Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee became murky after their third straight first-round exit and Damian Lillard‘s season-ending Achilles injury.
The Bucks are out of draft capital and have no financial flexibility to re-tool the roster around Antetokounmpo this offseason.
