Lakers reportedly ‘a little more open to short-term move’

The Lakers might be adjusting their long-term plans after getting the sense that their dream targets may not be as available as once believed.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, who said on his YouTube channel (via HoopsHype) that Los Angeles appears “a little more open to a short-term move” as the front office reassesses its timeline.

“Giannis Antetokounmpo has left the door cracked open,” Buha said, “but we’ve since had the reporting that Giannis’s preferred destination was the Knicks, not the Lakers. … I wonder if the Lakers’ recent shift toward being more of a kind of short-term or win-now mode is maybe in part due to (Luka) Doncic’s success at EuroBasket, but I think more so maybe gaining some intel that some of the big fish that they were hoping to catch are not going to be available or as available as they thought.”

Buha added that while the Lakers are still keeping flexibility in case a star like Antetokounmpo becomes gettable, they “have to be careful with how they position themselves for the future.”

The Lakers were one of several teams thought to be preparing for a possible Giannis sweepstakes, but if Milwaukee and New York end up controlling that market, Los Angeles may pivot toward more immediate help instead of waiting on another superstar opportunity.