Lakers should learn their lesson, avoid Giannis Antetokounmpo

I get it, you always think about the Lakers being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

It was a valiant fight to the end, with a 115-110 loss ending the season on Monday. A thriller for nothing.

But now we’ve finally reached the big, beautiful offseason that the Lakers have been teasing for months. This pivotal moment led them to accumulate assets and limit their financial flexibility. Almost paralyzed by the possibility.

Even after running in place all this time, they finally caught up: All indications are that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to hit the trade market.

And the Lakers — loaded with trade ammunition and cap space and still wanting star players — will be expected to make a play.

But they should be playing a different play.

For months, they have been signaling as if with a spotlight how much they covet the 6-foot-11 Greek forward. So, of course, they’re going to take their chances against the two-time NBA MVP, 10-time All-Star, 2021 NBA champion who will make around $58 million next season, while the 31-year-old will be looking at a massive multi-year extension.

They should run the other way.

The Lakers have stockpiled cap space and picks — as of draft night, they will have 2026, 2031 and 2033 first-rounders to offer — as if they were prophets of doom equipping a bunker. If they fill all that available space with Antetokounmpo’s salary, they won’t use it on LeBron James or Rui Hachimura. The Lakers will likely have to empty their cupboard of those first-round picks as well.

And, yes, it would be a disaster to devote all of that to an aging Antetokounmpo instead of doing the work of building an army of suitable role players to take on OKC’s corps — and to orbit around Doncic, the guy the Lakers already brought in to save the days ahead.

But wait, you say, this is the Lakers. Stars shine here.

Sure, but what does Los Angeles love the most? Winners.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves questions an official about a call during Game 4 against the Thunder Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Do you know what constitutes a winning formula in today’s NBA?

Depth. Athletics. Versatility. Optional. Think about the 2019-20 Lakers.

You know what doesn’t win?

Unbalanced workforce. High-level teams. All your damn eggs in one basket. Marginal Russell Westbrook Lakers. These three 2026Or-D Lakers. And certainly not a fragile and clumsy Luka Doncic-and-Antetokounmpo Lakers.

Of course, these guys are great players. They could understand it.

But would this be an optimal use of their respective talents?

In Greek: όχι. In Slovenian: Born.

In Los Angeles: Oh, Damn No.

Everyone knows that to get the most out of a Luka-led team, you surround him with shooters — and Antetokounmpo is at 28.5 percent from deep for his career. But Hachimura — a proven playoff player and certified laser — is a 51.6 percent three-point shooter in the playoffs; the best and most skilled player is not necessarily the best fit.

Because everyone also knows that Antetokounmpo is at his best when he’s rushing to the rim with the ball in his hands – how long will Doncic do what? Standing in the corner, chatting with the referees?

The last time they waited to catch the big fish, it didn’t bite. Fortunately. They missed out on injury-prone Kawhi Leonard, who chose the Clippers before the 2019-20 season and left the Lakers scrambling to put together…a championship roster.

Around James and Anthony Davis — who, funnily enough, only made $27 million that season before agreeing to a historic and more hefty three-year extension — the Lakers had shooters who could defend, like Danny Green. And defenders who can shoot, like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso. Length all over the field. Athleticism at the position: JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard who could play with or for AD.

That’s the model OKC used, the same one the Lakers abandoned in pursuit of big names, bringing in Westbrook by trading away Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a No. 22 pick.

You’re talking about a brick.

Milwaukee fired coach Doc Rivers and could trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.

(Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press)

Similar story in Milwaukee, where Antetokounmpo’s Bucks went all-in on Damian Lillard and have nothing but failure to show for it.

So if — or, well, when — the Lakers go madly after Giannis, I’ll have some questions.

I wonder why the Bucks would want to send another singular, unique talent to Los Angeles after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came and won five championships here.

I wonder if Giannis wants to be in Los Angeles, our “shallow” city, as he called it.

I wonder why the Lakers would invest so much in an aging and oft-injured star whose game relies on athleticism and not the off-the-charts basketball IQ of 41-year-old LeBron.

And, yes, I’m going to question fit and function and whether the Lakers have completely missed what’s happening around them — and for them.