The Los Angeles Lakers just got bounced in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle put the nail in the coffin, ending Luka Doncic's first playoff run as a Laker and sending LeBron James home for the summer. The five-game series was a brutal one, and moving forward, it's all about the offseason.
On the other side of the country, in the Midwest, the Milwaukee Bucks just got sent packing, too. Although, their defeat was far more painful, at least, from a pure shock-factor perspective. Tyrese Haliburton absolutely cooked them down the stretch as they saw their season fall between Gary Trent Jr.'s legs.
Now, all eyes will be on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lakers, Bucks disasters could lead to Luka Doncic-Giannis Antetokounmpo trade dream - but there's one problem
The Bucks legend and 2021 NBA Champion has been loyal to Milwaukee for his entire career, signing multiple extensions with them. One, after they traded for Jrue Holiday. Another after they traded for Damian Lillard.
One of those moves led to a championship for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. The other led to disaster.
But that disaster could have Lakers fans dreaming of an Antetokounmpo trade this summer. The Lakers (in theory) have the money to make a move work if they move things around the right way. Plus, the Bucks aren't necessarily looking to tank.
Milwaukee doesn't have control over its own pick until the 2031 season, so they have no reason to fully tank. Because of that, adding quality pieces like Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht could be of interest to them. Plus, getting picks from another team would be intriguing for the Bucks, too.
Unfortunately for the Lakers and the fans dreaming of a Doncic-Antetokounmpo two-man game, one major problem lies in the way.
In theory, adding the Lakers' picks could be intriguing. Who knows how they'll fair building around Doncic moving forward? (Probably well, but still.) The problem is, if the Bucks trade the Lakers Antetokounmpo to pair with Doncic, they will almost certainly be a top team in the Western Conference for the next five to 10 years.
And if that's the case, the picks the Bucks will have traded for in the Antetokounmpo deal will be almost obsolete. They should want to trade for picks that could turn into quality selections, effectively banking on the downfall of the team they are trading with (or getting picks from a team who owns another team's picks, like the Houston Rockets with the Phoenix Suns' picks).
Banking on the downfall of a Doncic-Antetokounmpo connection just doesn't make sense for Milwaukee.