The entire lead-up to Dec. 15 will be all about Giannis Antetokounmpo for the vast majority of the NBA. That's not to say rival teams will be forgetting about all the other ventures altogether, but it's hard to ignore the generational superstar hitting the trade market.
Amid everyone being preoccupied with Giannis, the Los Angeles Lakers could push hard and fast to solidify themselves as a contender elsewhere. It's not that Rob Pelinka and the front office wouldn't have their own interest in the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, they would. However, the name of the game in Los Angeles is opportunism.
The Lakers are certainly not the richest franchise when it comes to trade capital. Any and every move they would make before the NBA trade deadline would come with a calculated cost.
If the Lakers wait until February to make their move, the price of adding the type of game-changer they need could be steep. If they quietly maneuver around the Giannis saga, poking around with the Sacramento Kings about Keon Ellis should prove masterful.
Keon Ellis could come at a discount while NBA obsesses over Giannis
It was not too long ago that Marc Stein informed everyone that Ellis is a highly-demanded trade target in the lead-up to teams starting to make real moves. The activity levels around the Kings guard are already high.
Stein said, "Their phones are already ringing for Keon Ellis. ... The Kings are going to have to decide: do we want to part with him — someone who you can probably construct a net-positive trade for between now and the deadline in February — or is that a player they want to keep for the future?"
Those calls should keep coming, even amid the potential Giannis sweepstakes. The frequency and volume will certainly not be the same though.
Less of a market and less competition means a lower trade ask. That much is not rocket science. If the Lakers strike while teams are gripping to their assets for a Giannis push, they can probably get the discount they would be searching for.
For Los Angeles, that could mean punting on the idea of acquiring Antetokounmpo for themselves. That is a real dilemma they would need to confront. Should they believe their odds of landing the Bucks superstar are not realistic, that is when the pivot becomes a good one.
Ellis brings the type of shooting and point of attack defense the Lakers are lacking. Swooping in when no one is looking to snatch a needed upgrade would be a massive win.