Many teams are already throwing themselves at the Milwaukee Bucks in a desperate attempt to pry Giannis Antetokounmpo away before the NBA trade deadline arrives. The Los Angeles Lakers haven't been one of those teams. If they want the Bucks superstar, they need to wait.
There are several teams who can offer better packages than the Lakers right now. Los Angeles just needs to hope none of them are good enough to sway the Bucks in the present. If the Giannis sweepstakes drags into the offseason, that is when Rob Pelinka gets his shot.
At the very least, that was what Marc Stein believed was the case. One of the NBA's most reliable insiders delivered that message in his latest rumor mill round-up just days before the trade deadline.
Stein wrote, "No one is talking about the Lakers as a factor in The Giannis Sweepstakes right now because they're not a factor if a trade is going to happen by week's end. ... The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34."
Lakers need the Giannis trade sweepstakes to wait until the offseason
Other NBA insiders have confirmed the Lakers would indeed be interested here. Zach Lowe cited Giannis as a big reason for Los Angeles' inaction ahead of the trade deadline. When the stance on relocating Antetokounmpo changed in Milwaukee, Pelinka had to feel pretty good about that.
Stein, meanwhile, said the same thing that was stated above with regard to the pursuit. The Lakers don't have enough trade assets now to join the chase in the immediate future. The NBA insider said Los Angeles had 'little choice' but to stay patient, avoid long-term salary commitments, and position themselves to trade for Antetokounmpo without forcing the Bucks to take 'unwanted contracts.'
If the Lakers think a duo of Giannis and Luka Doncic would be that good, no one will be surprised to see them do next to nothing before Feb. 5.
Antetokounmpo's desire to play with Doncic existed in the past. Jake Fischer reminded everyone of that recently. The Lakers would need to hope the large market of Los Angeles and the superstar pairing with Luka is enough of a selling point to The Greek Freak.
The Stein Line also reported recently that Giannis cares about how his NBA story looks. Coming to Hollywood and bringing another championship to one of the league's most historic franchises would certainly paint him in a very strong light.