Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic: Lakers' Best Duo for Luka Doncic?

You’ve already read the title of this article, and if you’re a Denver Nuggets or Milwaukee Bucks fan, you’re already angry.

I understand.

It’s not fair that your megastar generational talent, who led your franchise to an NBA title, is in rumors to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

But Dallas Mavericks fans probably said the same thing when delusional Lakers fans were making bad Photoshop jobs of Doncic in the purple and gold.

With the Lakers under new ownership with Mark Walter, who has turned the Dodgers into a money-making juggernaut and just gave Kyle Tucker $60 million a year to play for the back-to-back champions, he has shown no fear when it comes to making big moves if it makes sense.

And with LeBron James possibly at the end of his career or at least tenure in Los Angeles, along with Austin Reaves as a free agent, the Lakers are going to have money to spend and the aggression to pair Doncic with the best superstar possible to be the core of the team for the next half-decade.

Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have one year left on their current contracts before they reach free agency, and the Lakers have been adamant about not adding any extra salary to be in a position to possibly trade for or sign either when they’re available.

But who would be the best alongside Doncic?

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Although the idea of Doncic passing lobs all day for Antetokounmpo to slam down is intriguing, the answer seems obvious: it’s Jokic.

The best passing big man in NBA history, alongside Doncic’s relentless scoring, the two close friends would instantly create one of the best attacking duos the league has ever seen.

While Antetokounmpo is a better defender, he’s not as good as he was in previous years, and his boom-or-bust style is only going to deteriorate as he heads into his mid-30s.

With Jokic, the Lakers would have a core they would then surround with shooters who can play above-average defense to mask the weakness the two European stars have on that end.

The question for the Lakers would be whether they would punt another year, hoping Jokic reaches free agency, as it seems unlikely Denver would ever deal its ace to Los Angeles unless strong-armed by the Serbian multi-time MVP.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 4:47 PM.