When the Lakers signed LeBron James and Anthony Davis to their new contracts, it put a significant dent in their chances to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021.
Still, many are left wondering just how invested the Lakers were in the pursuit and why they gave up now if they had a real chance.
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, some of the foundations may have already been being laid by LA, as he details in his article an attempt by the organization to build a relationship with the superstar’s agency, Octagon.
“The Lakers also seemed to be building a relationship with another agency in Octagon, where Giannis Antetokounmpo is partnered with Alex Saratsis and Jeff Austin. Is it a coincidence that Schroder, Matthews and the younger Antetokounmpo are all with Octagon? Wasn’t it that first year with Caldwell-Pope, a year before James’ arrival in Los Angeles, that the Lakers began to build a relationship with Paul and Klutch? It doesn’t take much to see the Lakers were trying to follow the same path.”
The Lakers demonstrated similar behavior with LeBron and Klutch Sports the year before he arrived, leading some to see it as a sign that their “recruitment” of Giannis was not only real but also active.
As a 2x MVP, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the Greek Freak is a guy that can change the world of any NBA franchise — including the Lakers. It would make sense that they (or any other team) would want to reach out. Whether or not they land the star, nobody can yet say for certain.
But do they really need Giannis? They’ve just improved their roster coming off a Championship season, and now they’ve got both of their superstars locked-in for several years. They’re in a pretty good position moving forward, with or without the reigning NBA MVP.
Not a lot of teams can say that.
