NBA Insider: Lakers a Team to ‘Keep an Eye On’ in Giannis Antetokounmpo Situation

With the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo made things interesting, as the two-time NBA MVP and the Milwaukee Bucks are moving toward parting ways. Antetokounmpo wants out and the Bucks are starting to listen to offers, which obviously is going to draw the attention of a lot of teams around the league, including the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although plenty of notable teams are gearing up for a run at Antetokounmpo ahead of the trade deadline, with four in particular rumored to be leading the way in the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat, the Lakers appear to still have a chance to land the one-time NBA champion.

Lakers Still Linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade

According to Howard Beck of The Ringer, the Lakers are a team to "keep an eye on" in the Giannis sweepstakes.

“I was told recently that the Lakers were a team to keep an eye on from Giannis’ standpoint, just as another team of interest," Beck said on The Zach Lowe Show. "But, again, there’s a difficulty there in terms of trade assets. They’re another team where, once the summer comes, they got more on the draft capital side of things and they got more clarity once they figure out where LeBron is or isn’t and where Austin Reaves is because he’s a free agent.”

The real question with Antetokounmpo with the Bucks and the superstar big man set to part ways is whether it will happen ahead of the trade deadline on Feb. 5 or during the summer when more teams can get involved due to trade assets becoming available.

At this point, outside of something miraculous from Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, which he pulled off last season with the shocking Luka Doncic trade, Los Angeles will likely have to wait to make an aggressive offer during the offseason while hoping Antetokounmpo doesn't get moved over the next few days.

It'll be interesting to see how the whole Giannis saga unfolds and what the Bucks' brass chose to do, as it might be wise to field trade offers now and then wait for the summer to create a bidding war for one of the best all-around players in the NBA, as interest will only intensify.

As for the Lakers, it remains to be seen what the team does before the deadline, with the De'Andre Hunter trade rumors gaining steam with only a few days left to wheel and deal.