Bobby Marks thought that no franchise truly embodied the two-timeline approach more than the Los Angeles Lakers. There is a clear-cut path to escape this scenario for the Lakers in the best possible way, it just involves some help from external sources like the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rob Pelinka and the front office surely know that juggling two timelines almost always leads to disaster. There needs to be a definitive set of priorities that ultimately focuses on one or the other.
The problem for the Lakers is they want a star to pair with Luka Doncic. Right now, none are immediately available who would be definitively better than a 40-year-old LeBron James. That is, until Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes available.
Antetokounmpo keeps talking about winning with the Milwaukee Bucks. The rest of the NBA, meanwhile, continues to wait for him to realize what is clear to everyone but him. When that eureka moment is had, the Lakers can get a permanent solution to their biggest problem.
Giannis Antetokounmpo could quickly end the Lakers’ balancing act
"I deal with what I have in front of me," Antetokounmpo said at Bucks Media Day. "I think it's a great team. It's a sleeper, and a lot of people might not take it seriously, but I think we are a very, very dangerous team."
The Bucks superstar would be alone in that thought. Granted, if you do not believe in yourself, who will?
Still, Antetokounmpo's headstrong approach to trying to win in Milwaukee appears hopeless to everyone but him from the exterior. When the breaking point finally comes, teams like the Lakers will be ready.
Marks pointed out in his NBA trade guide ahead of the regular season if, or when, the Bucks fall out of contention once more, the topic of Giannis' future will reach a boiling point again. Similar to how it was in the offseason, there will be a great amount of interest in what happens next.
The passage of time makes this one even more interesting. Antetokounmpo's 2025-26 season will be the second-last guaranteed year on his current contract with the Bucks. A player option looms for 2027-28.
What has not materialized yet is any notable discussions of a contract extension in Milwaukee. That point is why so many teams, like the Lakers, are trying to position themselves to have cap space for the 2027 offseason.
The quicker fix for Los Angeles and their troubles would be Antetokounmpo requesting a trade and forcing his way specifically to the Lakers to join his fellow European superstar. That would finally put the nail in the two-timeline coffin. However, that much, at the moment, remains wishful thinking.