With rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, especially regarding Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and his availability, there's no doubt those are two teams that could be in the running to make a play for the star. While the Lakers prepare for the upcoming trade deadline on Feb. 5, along with the Heat, this NBA insider shares the latest on why waiting to make a deal for Antetokounmpo would benefit both teams.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line would write about if Milwaukee would look until the offseason to search for a deal involving Antetokounmpo, it would be better for Los Angeles and Miami since it opens up more tradeable future first-round picks.
“If the Bucks hold off until the offseason, furthermore, teams such as Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers would have access to more tradeable future first-round picks,” Fischer wrote.
Looking at Miami, they've been connected to Antetokounmpo for some time now, and even were reported to not be a suitor for Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, if there was a slight chance it could ruin their chances at Antetokounmpo.
“And word is that Miami believes it will be firmly in the mix as a legit trade destination for Antetokounmpo if he actually becomes available at season's end — at last — as various rival teams project,” Marc Stein wrote last Monday.
The Lakers look to build continuously around Luka Doncic
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum.
© Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After the Lakers' thriller over the Dallas Mavericks, the team is set to build around star Luka Doncic and the years left with LeBron James, with Antetokounmpo no doubt being a huge move that could put them over the edge. The Athletic's Christian Clark and Dan Woike spoke about what Los Angeles needs to build around Doncic, which is “more athleticism, shooting, and defense to replicate what was left behind in Dallas.”
Another part The Athletics mentions is that the “real work” will happen in the summer, when the team could “have as many as three-first round picks” work with.
It remains to be seen how both Los Angeles and Miami pursue Antetokounmpo.