NBA Insider: Lakers Could Become ‘Very Viable Threat’ to Land Giannis Antetokounmpo

The clock is ticking for the Milwaukee Bucks, with the struggling franchise having until 12 p.m. PST on Feb. 5 to trade superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo or they'll have to wait until the summer to get trade talks ramped up again. The Los Angeles Lakers will hope that Antetokounmpo remains in a Bucks uniform past the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, as their chances to land him in a deal improve drastically.

At this point, either scenario seems possible for Antetokounmpo, as he could be dealt to a team like the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves or another team with trade assets and an interest in shaking things up by acquiring the two-time NBA MVP.

However, if the Bucks' brass aren't liking the trade offers for the one-time NBA champion, they could simply stand pat and wait for a massive bidding war during the offseason, which, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, would benefit the Lakers' chances of landing the perennial All-Star.

“The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34," Stein wrote. "There is little choice for the Lakers, heading into Thursday's deadline, except to stay patient and avoid deals that involve any long-term salary to maintain maximum flexibility for the spring. The hope for the purple-and-gold would then be to use their considerable projected salary cap space to be able to take in a contract like Antetokounmpo's via trade — or another expensive star if one shakes loose post-playoffs — to pair with backcourt cornerstones Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (who returned to action Tuesday night in Brooklyn after a 19-game injury absence). And dealing with the Lakers in such a scenario would almost certainly spare the Bucks from getting saddled with unwanted contracts.”

As for the Lakers' intentions ahead of the trade deadline, it looks more and more like they'll stand pat and save their trade assets for what could be a wild summer filled with wheeling and dealing for the storied franchise.

Once the summer rolls around, the Lakers will have more draft picks that become eligible to be traded, so they'll be able to make a competitive offer for Antetokounmpo, who would be the ideal superstar teammate alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Los Angeles will also be armed with a considerable amount of cap space to use in NBA free agency, with LeBron James coming off the books as well as Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Jaxson Hayes.