It finally happened. The Milwaukee Bucks have finally realized how futile the attempts to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in town were. The gears on trade talks have started to move in Wisconsin.
Shams Charania reported, "Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN."
There were so many reports during this trade season that kept saying the Bucks were insistent on trying to make things works in Milwaukee. It felt odd to anyone on the outside looking in. It was just too difficult to see how they would dig themselves out of the mess that was already created.
While all that was going on, Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers were standing still waiting for something to change. It has. The inaction from the front office feels completely justified now. There is certainly no guarantee Antetokounmpo ends up in Los Angeles without the right circumstances. However, the Lakers have at least given themselves a puncher's chance by still having all their assets.
Milwaukee is finally open to trading Giannis — exactly what the Lakers were waiting for
Antetokounmpo will not be an easy player to acquire before Feb. 5. Apart from the fact that all 29 teams that aren't the Bucks will look at Giannis and envision him in their jersey, there is specifically the element of salary matching for his contract that Los Angeles would need to figure out.
Antetokounmpo is making $54.1 million in 2025-26. The Lakers can get up to that number. It will not be an easy task for this season.
Without getting LeBron James to budge on his no-trade clause, further complicating the situation, the Lakers would need to include Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber to discuss a package that returns Antetokounmpo and minimum contract guys.
The best-case scenario for the Lakers would probably be to have the Giannis sweepstakes stall out until the summer. That would create an easier path to a trade between the two sides.
It would also be incredibly helpful for the Lakers to have Antetokounmpo provide some sort of preferred destinations list that featured them on it. That would immediately increase their realistic chances of adding the Bucks superstar.
Giannis joining the Lakers is far from the likeliest outcome for this trade saga. If you're Pelinka, though, nothing ventured means nothing gained. There is absolutely no fault in taking the shot.