The core focus of the brewing sweepstakes for Giannis Antetokounmpo would be landing the superstar himself. However, for the teams who miss out on The Greek Freak, there should still be an opportunity to make the most of his potential departure from the Milwaukee Bucks.
If Antetokounmpo is out the door in Milwaukee, there would be plenty of reason to believe no one else is really safe among the Bucks roster either. The team was heavily constructed around their superstar. Without that stabilizing force, there is no centerpiece left for the others to revolve around.
Granted, a main reason for the potential departure by the two-time MVP here would be the shortcomings of the Bucks roster. The short of it: the Bucks are not a very good basketball team.
However, they are not without intriguing players altogether. There are a few guys who can serve strong supporting roles for a championship contender in the NBA. Among them will certainly be names worth monitoring for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, and Gary Trent Jr. offer solid consolation prizes for Los Angeles
Assuming a trade request from Antetokounmpo becomes official and the Lakers are unable to meet the trade demands of the Bucks in a possible pursuit, Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, and Gary Trent Jr. are worth some discussion.
The reasoning for those players being fits in Los Angeles would be similar to why Milwaukee thought they could help Giannis. They specialize in shooting the basketball.
Rollins may be the one player that Milwaukee quietly won't let go of in the teardown that could follow Antetokounmpo leaving. The Bucks guard is enjoying a breakout campaign, averaging 17.9 points, with shooting splits of 49-39-78, 4.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
That is coming at an absolute steal of a price. Rollins re-upped with the Bucks on a three-year, $12 million deal in the offseason. His production at that cost makes him one of the best contracts in basketball.
Rollins would be a very gettable player for Los Angeles when it comes to salary-matching. However, because of his inexpensiveness and upward trajectory, Milwaukee may not be super willing to entertain offers, unless they buy in on selling high.
Trent may have already peaked in his NBA career. However, the veteran wing is still shooting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. At $3.7 million, the Bucks sniper is a low-cost addition, and would aid the desire for more floor spacers around Luka Doncic.
There may also be some desire here for the Lakers to at least inquire about how highly the Bucks value Myles Turner. The former Indiana Pacers center has seen his fair share of rumored connections to Los Angeles over the years.
After the addition of Deandre Ayton, the need up front is just not as pressing right now. The upside here would simply be the fact that a trade for Turner at the moment would involving attempting to acquire him with his trade stock fairly low.
Ultimately, the Bucks should be completely open for business if their superstar does intend to leave before the trade deadline in February. Contrary to popular belief, players not named Giannis in Milwaukee who are solid NBA pros do exist and are worth poking around on.