Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, giannis trade rumors, lakers
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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks pushes Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers for position during a 105-101 Bucks win at Crypto.com Arena on January 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Even as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to deem Giannis Antetokounmpo unavailable, rival teams reportedly believe the “Greek Freak” could potentially be up for grabs either by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or this summer. Could the Los Angeles Lakers pounce on a Giannis trade at some point in the near future?
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the leaguewide buzz is that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are heading towards “a separation,” a sentiment that has become increasingly evident in light of the two-time MVP’s recent comments.
Earlier this week, Antetokounmpo was asked how confident he was about finishing out the 2025-26 season in a Bucks uniform. His response was shocking.
“I don’t know. I take it day-by-day,” he said.
Giannis Trade Rumors
In light of his alarming comments, Windhorst told ESPN Radio Los Angeles on Wednesday that teams are not convinced the Bucks have ruled out a Giannis trade.
“Milwaukee,” said Windhorst when asked what he’s keeping his eye on, via RealGM. “Because I know what Doc has said on the record. I know what Giannis has said on the record. I’m just telling you other teams in the league are not convinced that Giannis is not going to get traded. That doesn’t mean he will get traded. I’m just telling you that they’re not convinced.
“If you take that out in aggregation, you can use it against me. But the nuance is it’s not like there’s 11 other guys to trade for. That’s the key. But there’s a number of team that are like ‘Boy, if. If B, then A.’ Giannis is the big ‘if’ right now.”
Lakers Holding onto Assets?
The Lakers are in a very tricky situation as it pertains to a potential Giannis trade. While they can offer only one first-round pick in any transactions ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, they’d be armed with three first-rounders this offseason, when they’d be in a better position to swing for a big move.
The Ringer’s Zach Lowe last week named Lakers among four teams that plan to hold onto all their assets until the summer to try and swing for a Giannis trade.
“The Hawks, the Warriors, the Lakers, the Heat, maybe the Knicks that are sort of thinking to themselves do we need to keep all of our stuff and wait for Giannis to may be become available, whether it’s now or in the summer,” Lowe said, via BasketNews.
“The whole league is watching if the [Bucks] slide any further down the standings. … Does Giannis push the button now instead of waiting until the summer? The biggest story in the NBA, potentially.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the option of testing free agency in 2027, when the Lakers are projected to be armed with cap space for at least one max slot. However, it seems unlikely the Antetokounmpo-Bucks issue won’t be resolved beforehand, with insiders such as Windhorst suggesting that the superstar forward will dictate a trade to his preferred destination in a “pre-agency” kind of situation.
The Bucks (18-25) face a tall task to qualify for the play-in, let alone clinch a guaranteed playoff berth. After their blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo once again sparked trade rumors by publicly ripping his teammates.