Could NBA fans see superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Lakers uniform in the next couple years? It’s possible. But 710 ESPN host Travis Rodgers doesn’t think there’s a good chance it’ll actually happen.
Giannis isn’t a free agent 2025. He’s entering the third year of a five-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the fifth year of the deal is a player option. Giannis said he would consider the Lakers and the Knicks as options if he thought about leaving Milwaukee.
Rodgers wondered on Travis and Sliwa on Tuesday why L.A. would be an option.
“The Lakers are the Lakers and the Knicks are the Knicks, right?” he asked. “The Knicks aren’t very good, but they’re still the Knicks, it’s New York City everything that comes along with it. The Lakers are good and have a history of being good, and they’re the Lakers. They’re the most prestigious franchise in the entire league. Is he connected to those two teams because it’s the Knicks and the Lakers, or is he connected to those two teams because he has interest in going to either the Knicks or the Lakers?”
Travis said every superstar, every time they come up as a potential free agent, is tied to the Lakers in some fashion.
“No matter who it is, every time a big name is, ‘hey you know who might be available, player x,’ the Lakers are always gonna be on that list,” he said. “Because they’re the Lakers. Because we want to click on it. We want to listen to what it is.”
Rodgers added that it was different in the situation of Anthony Davis, where there was mutual interest on both sides.
“There was no ambiguity on Anthony Davis,” he said. “Anthony Davis wanted to come to the Lakers. The Lakers wanted Anthony Davis. it was inevitable it was gonna come together.”
Travis continued by making the point that ultimately adding another big man like Giannis isn’t a great fit for the Lakers identity. Especially after signing Davis to a long-term contract and the status of LeBron James.
“It just doesn’t actually make a ton of sense other than he makes sense everywhere,” Rodgers said. “The fit the timing, it just doesn’t add up the way that the obvious ones do.”
