Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy believes that the franchise needs a “killer big,” naming superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as a potential option.
“Unless we get a killer big,” Worthy said when asked if Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can lead the Lakers back to the promised land.
Kendrick Perkins then asked Worthy if he meant a player like Daniel Gafford.
“No, we need a Giannis,” Worthy said. “We need a superstar. We gotta have it. But in order to get that, I don’t know if we can keep Austin.”
Worthy then conceded that he’d also simply take a physical big for the Lakers.
“I would take just not a top-notch center, but something like a [Isaiah] Hartenstein,” he said. “I’d take somebody who’s a Perkins, somebody that can come in there and slap people around.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said after the team was knocked out of the playoffs that L.A. would like both LeBron James and Reaves back in the offseason. However, bringing back both players would limit some of the organization’s flexibility this summer.
While Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA when he is healthy, the Bucks star played in just 36 games during the 2025-26 season due to various injuries. He still put up some impressive numbers, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
The Lakers would likely need to make a massive offer to Milwaukee to land Antetokounmpo in a trade, and it would be shocking if the Bucks didn’t ask for Reaves in return. There will certainly be competition around the league for Antetokounmpo’s services this summer.
Los Angeles was the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference in the 2025-26 season, but it was swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Doncic (hamstring) did not play in the entire postseason run, so it’s hard to know what the Lakers’ true ceiling is with this current core.
Since James (unrestricted free agent) and Reaves (player option) both could hit the open market in the offseason, the Lakers have a lot of decisions to make as they look to vault themselves into the conversation for the best team in the West in the 2026-27 season and beyond.
