The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans will want to have their ears perked up for the following message. The NBA rumor mill has churned out some encouraging developments in the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes set to take place this offseason.
Howard Beck went onto The Zach Lowe Show. One of the conversations points revolved around Antetokounmpo landing spots. Zach Lowe's podcast guest offered an encouraging message about the situation to a handful of potential suitors, including the Lakers.
Beck said, "Does he have a list? I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the LA teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not a big market, but a glamour market, mid-size market."
This message has to be music to the ears of Rob Pelinka and Lakers faithful.
Lakers chances hinge on Milwaukee Bucks organization
Lakers fans will undoubtedly hope to see a similar situation unfold to that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar here. Antetokounmpo may hold different reasons for potentially asking out than the all-time great center. However, Hollywood will be hoping for a rerun of the same film in this case.
Beck brought up a good point about a crucial factor that will dictate how this situation could play out. Do the Milwaukee Bucks honor Antetokounmpo's list of preferred destinations in the circumstances of those arriving on their table from the All-NBA superstar?
As one of, if not the, greatest player in franchise history, the outward expectation would be that Giannis is owed as much. Beck contrasted Damian Lillard's case, by comparison, and why the Bucks would not be obligated to honor that the same way they would be with Antetokounmpo.
If the competitive playing field for the services of the Greek Freak is narrowed down to a shortlist of big cities, the Lakers have to like their chances a lot more. Their best realistic trade package could certainly be beaten, in terms of value, by a handful of teams out there. However, when narrowing the scope, the outlook becomes much more promising.
Lakers fans will not be quick to give up on the dream of assembling the European dream duo of Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. Until the former Finals MVP is wearing another jersey or vocally recommits to Milwaukee, expect the rumored pairing to remain heavily connected in the news cycle.