When the NBA Finals come to a close in June, we'll be entering the Summer of Giannis Antetokounmpo as the entire basketball world waits impatiently to learn where Antetokounmpo will land once he's presumably traded by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks' wide-open stance on trading Giannis appears to have left open the possibility of a Lakers pursuit. But there would be plenty of competition in the Giannis Sweepstakes if the Lakers did choose to enter it, and there's also the preferred landing spot(s) of Giannis himself to consider in the matter.
This is where recent intel from NBA insider Marc Stein comes into play. Over Memorial Day weekend, Stein confirmed that there was buzz from the NBA combine about Giannis envisioning himself either with the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics. More generally speaking, Stein asserted that the general information around the league is that Antetokounmpo largely prefers to remain in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis reportedly prefers to play for an Eastern Conference team
"Giannis, for his part, appears to be largely East-minded when it comes to desired landing spots and the 31-year-old is certainly expected to wield considerable wherewithal to influence the final outcome with only one fully guaranteed season left on his contract," Stein wrote.
The reasons for Giannis' East-leaning preference are believed to be twofold: He realizes (accurately) that the path to an NBA Finals is easier in the East (have you been watching the Thunder-Spurs series?!), and secondly, Giannis' European base is closer geographically to most teams in the East, as compared with the West.
New info suggests Lakers might not appeal to Giannis
Playing for the Lakers would take Antetokounmpo way further away from his home base, and it would also plop him into a Western Conference that feels like it's about to be a two-horse race between the Thunder and Spurs for the next decade. Could Giannis change that fact by teaming up with Luka Doncic and forming a legit challenger to OKC and San Antonio? That feels plausible from a competitive standpoint, but if Antetokounmpo's heart is set on staying in the East, why get excited about it?
I've always felt that the timing is no longer right for a Luka-Giannis pairing. If the Dallas Mavericks had somehow landed Giannis two or three seasons ago, when he was still under 30, and when Luka was coming into his peak, Dallas would have surely won a title by now. But the Bucks weren't shopping Giannis then. At this point, Giannis is entering the second stretch of his career, and Luka isn't necessarily playing for a team that's willing to throw everything out the window for that version of Antetokounmpo. This could have been one of the most dominant duos in NBA history if they'd linked up sooner, but I think the ship has sailed.
Still, certain Lakers fans will be disappointed by this recent Giannis news. There is one silver lining, of course, to Giannis staying in the East -- he'll remain outside of the Lakers' playoff path to the Finals. This is a far better outcome than Antetokounmpo landing with a West contender that isn't the Lakers. At least there's that.
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