Rob Pelinka
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Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka in April 2025
Leading into the February 5 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers remained on the fringes of any serious Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions.
Instead, teams such as the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks were viewed as the “most active suitors for a deal” involving the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania also noted that Milwaukee felt no pressure to move Antetokounmpo before the deadline. The Bucks were comfortable carrying the situation into the offseason.
That is ultimately what happened, with no deal materializing.
That timeline may work in the Lakers’ favor, as it creates the possibility for a more aggressive pursuit in the months ahead.
Lakers Positioning For Offseason Pursuit
According to Ashish Mathur of Lakers Daily, Los Angeles is preparing to make a strong push to acquire Antetokounmpo this offseason. The interest may also be mutual.
“The Lakers will aggressively pursue a trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason, and sources told Lakers Daily that Antetokounmpo has ‘always wanted’ to play with and learn from LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer,” Mathur wrote.
At the trade deadline, the Lakers were limited. They controlled just one tradable first-round pick and held several expiring contracts that carried little league-wide appeal.
Los Angeles ultimately made only a minor move, with the team acquiring Luke Kennard on an expiring deal.
Financially, the cautious approach was deliberate. The Lakers are projected to have more than $55 million in cap space this summer and the front office appeared unwilling to absorb multi-year contracts that could limit flexibility.
Looking ahead to the offseason, Los Angeles can offer up to three first-round picks in a potential deal. The Lakers are also capable of absorbing Antetokounmpo’s $58.4 million salary without sending unwanted contracts back to Milwaukee.
However, that flexibility is tied to LeBron James’ future. While Antetokounmpo may want to play alongside him, that cap space only opens if James moves on from Los Angeles. An outcome that is widely expected around the league.
If Antetokounmpo were to land with the Lakers, it would likely be without James. That is unless the veteran superstar is willing to take a significant pay cut.
Why Timing Could Favor The Lakers
NBA insider Marc Stein has previously suggested that a prolonged Antetokounmpo timeline could shift the landscape, opening the door for Los Angeles to emerge as a legitimate factor.
“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,” Stein reported, via Silver Screen and Roll. “They don’t have enough tradeable assets to join the in-season bidders.”
“But if the Bucks do ultimately decide to take this saga into that spring …The Lakers, league sources say, would then indeed become a very viable threat to land No. 34.”
Stein added that Los Angeles could use its projected cap space to pursue an “expensive star” like Antetokounmpo, or another elite player should one suddenly become available.
The longer-term plan is said to involve re-signing Austin Reaves and continuing to build around Luka Doncic. James was not mentioned in Stein’s equation.
Reaves will be eligible for a five-year, $241 million extension this summer. In theory, he could be used as a legitimate salary-matching piece in an Antetokounmpo deal, but any such move would require his cooperation.
In that scenario, James could still potentially re-sign. That would create a big three featuring himself, Doncic and Antetokounmpo.
While much of this remains hypothetical, one thing is clear. The coming offseason is shaping up to be blockbuster viewing in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.