Lakers Eyeing $15M Pistons Star to Participate in Multi-Team Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade: Sources

It’s going to take more than just two teams to move Giannis Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee. If reports are to believed, the Los Angeles Lakers have now entered the chat. Not to get the Greek Freak even though they were a frontrunner in the regular season. The Lakers are actively exploring avenues to upgrade their frontcourt through the Giannis to Miami trade. A Lakers insider reported they have initiated talks with multiple teams to participate in a massive blockbuster trade centering on the Milwaukee Bucks superstar. But one team and its player is their favorite.

According to NBA insider Anthony F. Irwin, Los Angeles is engaged in deep discussions to serve as a key facilitator in a multi-team deal that would send Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. In exchange, the Lakers would bid for Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart or other rerouted assets.

“The Lakers, I am told, have been in conversation with Milwaukee, with Detroit,” Irwin revealed. “With Detroit, the Lakers apparently have been talking to them about Isaiah Stewart and about his availability and what his price would be.”

Irwin noted that if the trade successfully expanded to include Detroit landing Miami’s Tyler Herro, the Pistons “would become a very expensive team and would not have the funds to pay Jalen Duren and continue to employ Isaiah Stewart. So that is somebody the Lakers have been in talks with Detroit about.”

Sources: The Lakers have been in contact with the Bucks and Pistons as a part of a potential multi-team deal that could send Giannis to Miami. Isaiah Stewart is a name that keeps coming up in connection with the Lakers. (For @joinoffside) pic.twitter.com/ruhkL0FxJC

— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) June 20, 2026

This deal doesn’t just hinge on the Pistons’ involvement. Detroit, which was the top seed in the East this past season, would have to make steep financial decisions regarding its current core.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade could depend on Isaiah Stewart’s contract

As momentum gathers behind the blockbuster that is Giannis Antetokounmpo heading to South Beach, initial reports of a standard three-team trade have rapidly evolved. League sources indicate the transaction is transforming into a complex four- or five-team mega-deal to properly balance the incoming salaries and draft capital required by Milwaukee.

A key factor for the Lakers is navigating the financials of Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart is currently playing under a highly tradeable four-year, $60 million contract extension that’s yielding a $15 million salary. By most standards, t’s a bargain for an aggressive, versatile big man who averaged averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 55.0% from the field and proved to be an effective rim protector. Even Luka Doncic has dropped hints to the Lakers front office to get someone like that.

However, his salary puts Detroit very close to the luxury tax constraints of the second apron. With Jalen Duren’s extension coming up, the Pistons would have to decide if Stewart’s $15 million is expendable.

If they’re one of the teams facilitating Giannis to Miami, Irwin says they could acquire Tyler Herro. But again, it would depend on Stewart and if the Lakers would take on his salary to clear the cap space they need.

Even NBA reporter Evan Sidery reported that the Lakers are involved in this potential blockbuster. He suggests this could be a four-team deal could expand even further, looping in additional franchises. Sidery outlined a prospective four-team structure where the Miami Heat secure Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, while the Pistons absorb Herro. In this expanded version, the Lakers could pivot their draft capital and matching salary, like Jarred Vanderbilt, to instead reroute Myles Turner from the Bucks to LA, alongside Andre Jackson Jr.

Turner, who spent the past season with the Bucks, represents an elite rim-protecting alternative for the Lakers too. The 6’11” center averaged 11.9 points and 1.6 blocks this past season while shooting a stellar 38.3% from beyond the arc and makes him a seamless fit for the Lakers’ offense.

With reports indicating Milwaukee is highly motivated to flip Turner’s contract this summer to load up on the younger assets Miami and Detroit would send back, including Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Stewart, the Lakers find themselves in a prime position to dictate the terms of the NBA’s next historic landscape shift.

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