Lakers Projected Trade Package for Giannis Antetokounmpo Revealed

No matter how their season finishes, the Los Angeles Lakers are always thrown into the mix of teams expected to make moves in the offseason. 

The Lakers are fresh off a second round exit to the Oklahoma City Thunder and, picked by few to win entering the series, the Lakers find themselves needing to make some changes this summer to feel comfortable about how they compare to the juggernauts of the Western Conference.

Maybe the Lakers return the band from last season and make minor tweaks to their depth and rotation. 

Or maybe they go for the biggest fish in the pond: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Lakers’ Projected Packages for Bucks Star Revealed by Reporter 

GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo posts up Luka Doncic during a Bucks-Lakers matchup as trade speculation continues to link the two stars in Los Angeles.

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Lakers reporter Jovan Buha projected two packages the Lakers could offer the Bucks for Antetokounmpo. 

In the first scenario, Buha explains the Lakers would have to lose LeBron James — who is set to enter unrestricted free agency in a few weeks — unless James agrees to the room exception (worth roughly $9 million) or a veteran’s minimum contract. 

The first trade package includes Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, three first round picks (2026, 2031, 2033) and three pick swaps (2028, 2030, 2032).

In the second scenario, Buha explains the Lakers offer for Antetokounmpo is much stronger but not feasible because he is “skeptical” Austin Reaves — who possesses a player-option worth roughly $15 million for the 2026-27 season — would agree to a sign-and-trade. 

The second trade package includes Reaves, Ayton, LaRavia, three first round picks (2026, 2031, 2033) and three pick swaps (2028, 2030, 2032).

While the Lakers would land a two-time NBA MVP in his prime in this scenario, Buha says “the Lakers run out of depth” and, even if the franchise were to look to retain James and Reaves alongside Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic, that he doesn’t envision doesn’t “see LeBron taking the minimum to stay in L.A.”

Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo is ‘Pie in the Sky,’ but Lakers Have Strong Options

GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 22: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game One of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center on May 22, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

As Buha notes, it would take significant maneuvering for the Lakers to even begin considering a trade for Antetokounmpo, let alone acquiring the 10-time All-Star from Milwaukee. 

The Lakers have other options; reports have linked the franchise to New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson, who is up for a new contract as he plays out the final year of his four-year deal, and even Kyrie Irving, whom the Lakers would have to acquire via trade because Irving is in the second year of a three-year deal. 

L.A.’s most glaring deficiency is the center position. Acquiring a marquee backcourt star would make the Lakers flashier on paper, but with Doncic firmly in lock-step with the organization and Reaves unlikely to exit this offseason, the Lakers perhaps just need a strong frontcourt upgrade to substantially raise their ceiling next season. 

Other names floated as potential Lakers targets are Dallas’ Daniel Gafford — Doncic’s teammate with the Mavericks — and Nic Claxton, two athletic, two-way centers that would be a clear step up from Ayton.

The Lakers managed to acquire Doncic, a player no one believed would ever be made available for trade, so acquiring Antetokounmpo wouldn’t be totally flooring. 

But it’s greatly unlikely nonetheless. 

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