{"id":43672,"date":"2025-03-16T11:23:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T11:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672"},"modified":"2025-03-16T11:23:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T11:23:20","slug":"trade-rumors-lakers-named-potential-landing-spot-for-2-time-mvp-after-luka-blockbuster-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672","title":{"rendered":"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rob<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 top offseason priority is to look for Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2018s perfect lob partner this offseason.<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report\u2019s salary cap expert Eric Pincus named Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Lakers\u2019 potential top trade target.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lakers already landed a dream target in Luka Don\u010di\u0107, but the franchise is greedy. If Antetokounmpo demands out, a combination of salaries, talent and picks could get him to Los Angeles. It\u2019s a stretch, but it\u2019d be remiss to leave him out if this is a team\u2019s wish list,\u201d Pincus wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Lakers will have to be creative if Antetokounmpo becomes available, which is contingent on how the Bucks\u2019 season ends. They are low on draft capital, but it\u2019s hard to bet against Rob Pelinka and his front office after they shocked everyone with the Don\u010di\u0107 blockbuster trade.<\/p>\n

Lakers\u2019 Other Options<\/h2>\n

Their primary trade baits, according to Pincus, are\u00a0Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber,\u00a0Rui Hachimura,\u00a0Austin Reaves,\u00a0Gabe Vincent,\u00a0Jared Vanderbilt,\u00a0Shake Milton.<\/p>\n

If they are to pursue Antetokounmpo, maybe they can flip Reaves into more draft capital to send Milwaukee\u2019s way if the Bucks tear it down and go full rebuild.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise, LA is less likely to send out key players like Reaves, Hachimura, etc. Instead, look for the franchise to target a center with Knecht as bait\u2014similar to the failed\u00a0Mark Williams\u00a0deal with the Charlotte Hornets (the Lakers didn\u2019t clear Williams\u2019 physical),\u201d Pincus wrote.<\/p>\n

Pincus mentioned Utah\u2019s\u00a0Walker Kessler\u00a0and Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s former Mavericks lob partner\u00a0Daniel Gafford\u00a0as alternatives if Antetokounmpo does not become available.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Giannis\u2019 Reaction to Luka Trade<\/h2>\n

Antetokounmpo was one of the many people who thought that the Luka trade was fake news. But after processing it, the thing he realized is no one is untouchable in this league.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd at the same time, I understand the business of basketball, that sometimes teams need to make the best moves that are good for their organization and for their position and for their own pursuit of greatness and championships,\u201d Antetokounmpo told reporters in the aftermath of the most shocking trade in NBA history. \u201cBut at the same time, it goes both ways. You cannot have a double standard here. When the teams make the best moves for them and they believe they can get another player to win now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a player believes that he can go to a different team, and he believes that he can have the chance to win a championship, we cannot crucify the person and say that he\u2019s not loyal and he didn\u2019t do the right thing and he let everybody down because the history has showed you that you have to do what\u2019s best for you and your family and you have to do what\u2019s best, what\u2019s most important to win.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

After a 2-8 start, the Bucks have bounced back strong and are currently positioned to make the playoffs outright thanks to Antetokounmpo having an MVP-type of season.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old Greek star is averaging 30.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 blocks for the Bucks, who are tied with the Indiana Pacers for the fourth seed in the East with identical 37-28 record entering Saturday\u2019s games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 top offseason priority is to look for Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2018s perfect lob partner this offseason. Bleacher Report\u2019s salary cap expert Eric Pincus named Milwaukee… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nTRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 top offseason priority is to look for Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2018s perfect lob partner this offseason. Bleacher Report\u2019s salary cap expert Eric Pincus named Milwaukee...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"686\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"386\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672\",\"name\":\"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png\",\"width\":686,\"height\":386},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0\",\"name\":\"MsThao\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsThao\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365","og_description":"The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 top offseason priority is to look for Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2018s perfect lob partner this offseason. Bleacher Report\u2019s salary cap expert Eric Pincus named Milwaukee...","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":686,"height":386,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MsThao","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsThao","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672","name":"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png","datePublished":"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-16T11:23:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-43.png","width":686,"height":386},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43672#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TRADE RUMORS: Lakers Named Potential Landing Spot for 2-Time MVP After Luka Blockbuster Trade"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0","name":"MsThao","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsThao"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43672"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43679,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43672\/revisions\/43679"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}