NBA Rumors: Lakers' Possible Ploy To Land Giannis Antetokounmpo May Be For Naught

The Los Angeles Lakers seem so formidable right now, although that is not expected to stop them. In fact, pundits feel that the purple and gold are going to continue pursuing more stars in coming NBA seasons, and one hint is the signing of Kostas Antetokounmpo.

For those who may have missed it, the Lakers signed the younger brother reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to a two-way contract late last month. He joins the Lakers after playing one season for the Texas Legends, the G-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, NBA.com reported.

Kostas put up decent numbers, likely hinting that he will be among the players coming off the Lakers bench. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He appeared in only two games for the Mavs.

With the vaunted firepower the Lakers have right now, Antetokounmpo could be of use and help out the main stars. He is good at playing the pick-and-roll and is expected to develop further. Given all these promising things, would this be all tied up to a possible pursuit of his older brother Giannis?

Based on an article from The New York Times, it appears the 24-year-old NBA star has little to no reason to leave Milwaukee. He says he feels the love from the city and adds that there are a lot of things to do. The 15th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft seems to be pretty much at home, meaning the Lakers (or any other team for that matter) may have a rough time trying to pry him away from the Bucks.

Further hinting that Milwaukee seems pretty much his home is the fact that he feels he would have a hard time to adjusting to new life in new environments.

“I don’t like all these flashy cities like L.A. or Miami. I don’t know if I could be the same player if I played in those cities,” Antetokounmpo said.

Seeing how he has had success leading the Bucks, it is not hard to understand why. Unless a classy organization like the Milwaukee Bucks melt down or fall apart, it is hard to imagine Giannis packing his bags for somewhere else. In hindsight, signing Kostas seems like a bait. But then again, it could be a golden opportunity for the younger Antetokounmpo to show that he too can evolve into an NBA star with the purple and gold.