lakers/news/lakers-austin-reaves-trade-proposal-star-future-hall-famer/13a478e7c24b493a6c09e90a?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=appeared_on">Lakers’ Austin Reaves trade proposal sees Los Angeles move young star for $175 million future Hall of Famer originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There doesn’t really seem to be a sense that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to land Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, though it’s impossible to say never in the NBA.
The Lakers have definitely benefited a ton from some lopsided trades in the past, and we saw that just about a year ago when the Dallas Mavericks sent the Lakers Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and very little more. However, the Bucks seem to know better than to move on from Antetokounmpo for pennies on the dollar, though I still wouldn’t put it past anything happening in the NBA.
A recent trade proposal would be far from ideal for the Bucks, but it’s probably the best the Lakers have to offer, and if Antetokounmpo perhaps gets his wish and wants to play in Los Angeles, who knows what can happen?
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, $12.4 million trade exception, $4.2 million trade exception
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Nick Smith Jr., 2031 first-rounder, 2032 protected first-round swap
“A Lakers’ offer relies heavily on Milwaukee’s willingness to give Reaves a near-max contract via sign-and-trade. Reaves is one of the NBA’s top free agents this summer, a talented ball-handling scorer.
“If the Bucks covet Reaves and if Antetokounmpo wants to play with Luka Dončić in Los Angeles, this is a feasible solution. The Bucks get three forwards in the deal with Vanderbilt, LaRavia, and Knecht, plus a former first-round pick in Smith. Only Vanderbilt’s salary extends beyond the 2026-27 season, though Milwaukee can opt Knecht into another year,” Eric Pincus wrote.
There are definitely some positives in this trade for the Bucks, as betting on the Lakers’ future might not be the worst idea.
Antetokounmpo has a history of injuries and is only getting older. Doncic is a very good player and seems to be the superstar the Lakers will have for a very long time, though again, it’s possible he could leave in free agency or via a trade sometime before 2031 and 2032, when those picks would happen.
