In an interview with Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hinted at the possibility of joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the future. The Lakers were only brought up because Giannis’ younger brother, Kostas, is currently serving as a bench player for the Purple and Gold. His older brother, Thanasis, is ON the Bucks, though he doesn’t get much playing time. Regardless, Salmon was inquiring about whether or not Giannis would be open to teaming up with “having everyone together”. To which he replied “I think that would be amazing. Obviously we’d spend more time together, and I’m 100% sure my mom would love that, but if we could team up in a team — Milwaukee, L.A., whatever — that would be awesome.” Not exactly music to Bucks fans’ ears.
Personally, I think Lakers fans need to chill out on Twitter, because this is a very unlikely scenario. The Bucks currently have the best record in the league and are (obviously) in championship contention. The earliest the Lakers would be able to sign Giannis is in 2021, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent However, a lot could happen before then. Most likely, the Bucks throw as much money at him as possible because he’s Giannis. Unless they’ve learned nothing from the Red Sox, there’s no way they part ways with their franchise player in his prime. He is the future of Milwaukee, and if they want to continue to be in championship contention for years to come, the Bucks front office needs to pay him – which they will.
NEVERTHELESS, the Lakers have structured their roster so that they will have maximum cap space in 2021, which is (as you might recall) the same year Giannis is a free agent. With Anthony Davis’ future in Los Angeles uncertain, it’s not hard to imagine the Lakers making a run at Giannis if they fail to sign AD to a long-term contract. Plus, with LeBron getting older, being the star of the Los Angeles Lakers once LeBron is out of the league could be appealing to the Greek Freak. Plus, Southern California’s Mediterranean climate (shoutout Geography 110) would certainly be more appealing to the Athens, Greece native than the blisteringly cold winters endured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It would almost be like a homecoming.
Again, I don’t think it’s likely that Giannis ends up in the purple and gold, but it’s not technically out of the realm of possibility. Rob Pelinka is already making moves.
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