Los Angeles Lakers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James would unquestionably be the greatest big 3 ever assembled in NBA history.
A 4-time MVP in LeBron James. A 2-time MVP and DPOY in Giannis Antetokounmpo. DPOY runner-up and top 5 in MVP voting in Anthony Davis.
This offers Giannis the perfect chance to win immediately and long term. Short term you have Giannis, LeBron, and Anthony Davis. Long term you have Giannis, Anthony Davis and you can basically pick any third available superstar out there because very few players are going to pass up the chance to play with two top 5 players on both ends of the floor in the NBA.
If Giannis never develops a jump shot, that’s no problem, Davis can step out to the 3-point line and drain shots from out there. If Giannis doesn’t want to play make, that’s ok, you have LeBron James one of the best passers in NBA history to take over.
If Giannis can’t get into his scoring groove, LeBron James and Anthony Davis can pick up the slack. What if Giannis wants to be the No. 1 option? LeBron has made it clear that Davis is the guy for the Lakers moving forward.
Davis has also said that he will defer to LeBron when the time calls for it.
You would have two megastars in LeBron and AD who would be willing to take a step back and allow Giannis to be the number 1 guy on the team.
Two unselfish superstars.
You may ask what happens when LeBron retires? He isn’t getting any younger. General manager Rob Pelinka has proven this off-season that he doesn’t plan for the short term, he plans for the long term.
You can bet that the second Giannis signs on the dotted line for the Lakers that Pelinka will be working hard to secure the next star for when LeBron James retires or even if LeBron James skills begin to decline, LeBron James could easily take a pay cut to allow for a 3rd star while he remains on the team.
LeBron James Net worth is around $500 million, do you really think he wouldn’t take a salary cap pay cut (The Lakers would pay him his worth in a different way) to win more rings?
Could the Lakers go after Bradley Beal in the Summer of 2022?
- C Anthony Davis
- PF Giannis Antetokounmpo
- SF LeBron James (Vet Minimum)
- SG Bradley Beal
- PG Alex Caruso
This sets the Lakers up short, medium, and long-term. With the salary cap going up and a potentially willing LeBron to take a significant pay cut, the purple and gold could be the dominant force in basketball for a very long time.