Trade rumors have swirled around Giannis Antetokounmpo for several months now, and although the dust somewhat settled in the start of the 2025-26 season when he committed to the Bucks, there are murmurs again, this time, aggravated by Giannis himself. After his recent injury, Dwight Howard doesn’t want him repping Milwaukee anymore.
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Antetokounmpo has had a huge impact on the Bucks, turning the small-market franchise into one of the best in the NBA. But the team has been severely star-depleted in recent seasons and Giannis, now in his 30s, is slowly but surely losing his window to compete for another championship at his peak.
Recently, the Greek Freak deleted all his X (formerly Twitter) posts that were related to the Bucks, with his last tweet showcasing a birthday tribute to Kobe Bryant. Lakers rumors, as a result, crept in. And Howard, following Giannis’ knock against the Pistons on Wednesday, prayed he got better… for the Lakers.
Reacting to the Bucks forward’s calf-strain, Howard wrote, “Aye Giannis don’t go trying to play on that calf strain just take your time and get back right Lake Show need you.”
There was absolutely no subtlety here. Howard, who played for the Lakers — and won his only NBA championship there — on two different stints openly added fuel to the fire by linking Giannis to the purple and gold.
Additionally, Howard also tweeted about the prospect of Giannis joining Lakers and forming an unstoppable trio with two more GOATs — Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Together, if they’re all at their best, it’s very likely that the Lakers would be unstoppable. Throw an on-fire Austin Reaves into the mix and we could very well be seeing a kryptonite to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominance.
Well, Lakers fans shouldn’t count their chickens before they’ve hatched, of course. Firstly, they’re already playing well without the addition of a two-time former MVP. Secondly, a Giannis trade w
Giannis , Luka, And Bron
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) December 4, 2025
Plus, other big-market sides like the Knicks, Heat, Rockets, Warriors, and Clippers could also sniff around the possibility of adding Giannis to their roster to make a jump.
