The Los Angeles Lakers finished as the number three seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Well, there will be interesting questions about the Lakers this offseason. How do they want to build the roster around Luka Doncic? Will Lebron James be around next season for Los Angeles? Is there a chance that Los Angeles could make a trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason? It is questionable that the Lakers may not have enough pieces to make a trade.
Los Angeles Lakers Potential Dark Horse Candidate In Trade For Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Bleacher report writer Eric Pincus wrote about potential destinations where Antetokounmpo could be traded to this offseason if he were to ask out of Milwaukee. Even though Los Angeles is potentially not a Top 5 realistic destination for the Bucks superstar, Pincus believes that the Lakers could be a potential dark horse candidate in a trade for him. He said,
“How hard Antetokounmpo pushes for what he wants (which, for the record, we don’t know) could add teams to the list who otherwise may not belong.
Does he want to join Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers? L.A. can build a deal around Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, filler contracts and marginal draft compensation (a future first, several swaps). More significantly, do the Bucks want to face a Dallas Mavericks-like backlash, sending their best player to the Lakers?”
Reaves and Knecht would not be bad pieces for the Bucks to get back in a trade, but a lack of draft capital could be a major problem. Reaves is going to be on the trade market this offseason for the Lakers in the offseason. As for Knecht, they tried to trade him already to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, but that trade was rescinded.
A potential duo of Doncic and Antetokounmpo could be scary. Those are easily two of the top five players in the NBA and they would be teaming up for one of the most iconic franchises in the NBA. James is near the end of his career, but he is still playing at a very high level. If Antetokounmpo were to shockingly be traded to the Lakers this offseason, there would be no question that he can help Doncic win a title together also.
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