When there is no chaos in the August portion of the NBA offseason, sometimes it needs to be manufactured. Bleacher Report did just with what a breathtakingly large five-team deal that ultimately results in the Los Angeles Lakers landing Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Eric Pincus cooked up a monstrosity featuring the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets. The haul from this one was so long for the Bucks, in particular, that it could not properly fit in the trade embed.
This one will need to be handled differently as a result. Each team's haul will be featured in their individual section to follow.
Mavericks boost win-now window with LeBron James
The Mavericks are one of the few teams for whom a LeBron James trade would actually make a good deal of sense. The biggest obstacle for Dallas would be James' salary. Pincus made it work.
Mavericks received: LeBron James, Bronny James, Tyler Smith, Drew Timme, and Andre Jackson Jr.
It will materialize more so as the article goes along, but the Mavericks essentially unloaded their depth to match up for James' price tag in 2025-26. That could be a controversial decision, but Dallas were not left without potential role players altogether after the deal.
Jackson displayed upside as a 3-and-D option with the Bucks in 2024-25. Timme offered a very brief sample size of being a solid contributor as well. The younger James is also a lot closer to being an NBA-level role player than some would care admit.
The big prize here for the Mavericks is having a short-term window to win with a core of LeBron, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, and a returning Kyrie Irving. The idea is certainly interesting enough for Nico Harrison and company to explore.
Raptors sneak in for a new center
The Raptors found a way to unload RJ Barrett's salary in this deal, creating a trade exception and securing one of the best backup centers in the league as a part of the process. They played a small role, but not a forgettable one.
Raptors received: Daniel Gafford, $13.3 million trade exception.
Sending Barrett out of town creates one less mouth to feed and one less player who needs to dominate the ball in Toronto. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram could stand to benefit from shaking that awkward fit. The trade exception also allows the Raptors future aggression on the trade market, if they wish to make a splash.
Nets add two intriguing pieces to young core
The Nets' role in this deal is obvious: help facilitate with the cap space available and get rewarded for your troubles. It's a perfectly acceptable approach.
Nets received: Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy, and Dwight Powell.
Brooklyn gets the opportunity to evaluate Knecht and Hardy as young players, seeing if there's any potential to tap. For a team that has no interest in winning next season, and only sends out Timme and Tyrese Martin in the deal, that is more than acceptable of a return for the Nets.
Bucks finally give up on Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee
The NBA world has been begging for the Bucks to free Antetokounmpo from the dark situation in Milwaukee. Here, they finally do just that. How's the trade return? Abundant in its sheer volume.
Bucks received: RJ Barrett, PJ Washington, Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, $2 million trade exception, 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032 first-round swap rights with the Lakers, 2026 second-round pick from the Lakers via the Raptors, and a 2031 first-round pick from the Lakers.
Did you manage to keep up with all of that? The Bucks get a handful of veterans they can choose to tread water with until potentially figuring out how to pivot into more draft capital. They also get to lord over the Lakers' future in the NBA Draft for quite some time.
Despite its quantity, this is still ultimately a light return for a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber. Whether the deal is worthwhile really depends on what the Bucks do after this trade.
Lakers get their dream duo in Doncic and Antetokounmpo
There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Lakers walk away from this trade as the biggest winners. They surrender control over their draft future. They surrender Knecht and both of their James family members. It does not matter.
Lakers received: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Tyrese Martin, $4 million trade exception, $2 million trade exception.
Rob Pelinka escapes this deal with two of the five best players in basketball. That unquestionably puts them firmly in the championship contender category and secures a long-serving partnership at the forefront of their team.
Doncic and Antetokounmpo is enough to make any team they are a part of a title hopeful. Exiting this trade while holding onto Austin Reaves as a third star is a massive victory as well.
Generating two trade exceptions should position the Lakers to remain opportunistic in moving off from any of their expiring contracts for additional role players, should the opening arise. Although, it would be tough to imagine teams wanting to help Los Angeles even more after another blockbuster.