Lakers’ Reported Three-Pick Trade Package for Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Already Drawing Skepticism
The Lakers have already put their first chips on the table in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and it might not be close to enough. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on the Rich Eisen Show that Los Angeles can offer three first-round picks, plus cap space and the ability to absorb Giannis’ contract.
The specifics: the No. 25 pick in the 2026 draft, plus future first-round picks in 2031 and 2033.
That is the headline. The reality is a lot more complicated.
Charania himself put it bluntly. “If you’re the Bucks, are you just gonna trade Giannis to the Lakers for cap space and three first-round picks? My sense is they’re going to get better in the marketplace than that.” That is the entire problem with the Lakers’ pitch. The picks are mostly late firsts. The cap space is real but is also the only currency they have. Milwaukee is going to get bid up.
The reason the Lakers cannot offer more is Luka Doncic. Doncic has reportedly indicated he would not want Austin Reaves included in any potential Giannis trade package. Without Reaves, the Lakers do not have a player on their roster that Milwaukee actually wants. The Bucks are not taking back contracts for the sake of taking back contracts. They want talent.
Then there is the obvious problem. The Lakers got swept by Oklahoma City in the first round. LeBron James went on his podcast this week and said the team was “out-talented” by the Thunder. The roster needs more, not less. Trading away their few young pieces alongside the picks to get Giannis would leave the team thin around three superstars who all need touches.
And yet the Lakers are doing this anyway. They feel the pressure of the LeBron clock. He is a free agent this summer. They want to keep him by showing him a championship roster. They want to make sure Luka has another perennial All-NBA player next to him. Giannis solves both problems if they can pull it off.
The competition is fierce. Teams reported to have entered the Giannis market include the Knicks, Heat, Rockets, and Spurs. Each one of those teams can offer a younger asset that the Lakers cannot match. The Knicks have OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and a stack of firsts. The Rockets have a deep stable of young players. The Spurs have Devin Vassell and a 2027 first that could be from the Hawks.
For Milwaukee, the math is clear. If they have to move Giannis, the best return will not come from Los Angeles. The Lakers have positioned themselves as a backup option, not the front-runner.
Then again, this is exactly the kind of moment LeBron James was made for. He has a way of bending these trade situations through sheer force of will. If he tells Giannis he wants to play with him, that changes the equation. If Giannis makes it clear he wants the Lakers, the Bucks have less leverage.
The next month will be the most consequential month of the Lakers’ season. The roster they have right now is not winning a title. The offer on the table is not winning the bidding war. Something has to give. The clock is ticking.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
