Are the Lakers out of the race? Giannis reportedly prefers East Coast teams and does not want to partner with a ball-dominant star.

On March 5th Beijing time, it was previously reported that the Lakers plan to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason. However, according to the latest report from renowned journalist Eric Pincus, Giannis's two major preferences will likely leave the Lakers, located on the U.S. West Coast, with no chance of acquiring the superstar.

Pincus pointed out in the article that Giannis prefers the East Coast, which is closer to Greece (both in flight distance and time zone). Some have stated that Giannis misses playing alongside Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, his teammates during the 2021 championship run. This does not mean he wants to reassemble that exact roster, but rather that Giannis does not wish to partner with a heavily ball-dominant primary playmaker. He prefers to be the absolute engine of the team's offense (both Holiday and Middleton could play off the ball effectively with him).

One of the most closely watched storylines leading up to the 2026 trade deadline was the fate of Giannis Antetokounmpo—though ultimately, nothing happened during this turbulent and underperforming season for the Bucks.

Giannis's stance has been consistently contradictory: on one hand, he has expressed a desire to spend his entire career with the Bucks; on the other, he has openly stated he does not want to be on a team that has to fight desperately just to make the playoffs.

Many executives from rival teams suspect that the Bucks were not genuinely looking to trade Giannis before the deadline. What was notably different this time was that the Bucks' front office actually engaged in conversations with multiple teams, something that had hardly happened in the past.

However, for most of last season and until a few weeks before the deadline, the Bucks' focus remained on acquiring help for Giannis. At least in the initial plans for the summer, this approach is not expected to change. The Bucks may not be able to attract enough high-level talent to give the superstar a real chance at competing for the highest honors, but that doesn't mean the team won't try this path first.

It is widely believed that the Bucks used the trade deadline to gauge the market, knowing that many teams could offer more substantial packages after the 2026 NBA Draft in June.