Stars are aligning for Giannis Antetokounmpo to join Lakers
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers is a team for superstars. Any list of the top players in NBA history includes mostly Lakers as many of the all-time greats have put on the purple and gold at one point or another.
While LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been holding down the fort as the franchise’s latest superstar duo, it isn’t crazy to look ahead at who might be the next superstar to come to LA. After all, LeBron James’ time with the team seems to be very limited with his son soon coming into the league.
It might sound insane, but there is one name that Lakers fans should be circling as the next superstar to put on the purple and gold: Giannis Antetokounmpo. He wouldn’t be the first otherworldly MVP to come from the Bucks to the Lakers.
Why the stars could be aligning for Giannis Antetokounmpo to join the Lakers:
To be clear, we are several years away from Giannis potentially joining the Lakers. This is not something that is going to happen this summer as the Lakers are going to be running it back with LeBron, AD and whatever depth pieces they can bring in around the superstar duo.
But when mapping out the next several years of the NBA, knowing that superstars often get disgruntled and want to play for new teams, there is a very obvious path for Giannis to come to the City of Angels.
First of all, it starts with the Bucks’ early playoff loss this year and Mike Budenholzer being fired. This could be the start of an ugly period for the Bucks, especially if they cannot hit a home run with the next head coach hire.
The Bucks will continue to be relevant as long as Giannis is playing but firing the head coach after a first-round playoff loss is not a good sign. With his supporting cast aging (and hitting free agency) as well as the team not having many assets or the resources of a big market, there is a good chance that Giannis won’t have a viable supporting cast around him to truly contend.
Giannis is someone who cares about winning and that could potentially drive him away when his contract expires. Giannis can opt out of his deal and become a free agent after the 2024-25 season, which lines up perfectly for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both LeBron’s and AD’s contracts expire after the 2024-25 season. The Lakers should be extremely cap flexible by the time Giannis potentially hits the market at 31 years old and should have the means t bring in a max contract player.
They also could have someone coaching the team who Giannis really likes: Darvin Ham. There is no guarantee Ham will last that long but Giannis has been nothing but complimentary of Ham. That is someone who Gianins may want to play for and that could swing a decision.
It won’t happen for another two summers at the absolute earliest but as you root on the Lakers over the next two seasons just keep an eye on Giannis and the Bucks. If there are any signs of dysfunction the Lakers may pounce on it and bring another Milwaukee great to LA.