Los Angeles Lakers: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
Claimed Kostas Antetokounmpo
The Los Angeles Lakers’ most recent roster move is arguably their most controversial, and not because it really cost the Lakers much or should be a high-impact move.
They claimed a second-year forward out of Dayton who played just 10 total minutes for the Dallas Mavericks last season, adding him as a two-way player.
The noteworthy part of the transaction involves this player’s last name, and specifically how long it is. Kostas Antetokounmpo, by virtue of being the younger brother of the reigning MVP, is not simply another two-way player.
His famous brother draws his own presence in the league and on the Lakers into a different light.
It’s possible the Lakers were taking a young forward with upside, and possibly even trying to capture the possibility of Kostas containing higher upside because of the heights his brother has reached. Somehow it feels like a morally better move if this was a pure basketball decision.
Claiming Kostas was much more likely to be a step towards recruiting Giannis ahead of his free agency in 2021.
Rostering the siblings of stars is a time-honored tradition in the NBA, with recent examples being the Golden State Warriors (Damion Lee) and the Milwaukee Bucks themselves (Thanasis Antetokounmpo).
The Lakers will need to leverage a lot of other areas to make a compelling case to Giannis, but this could be a small step in that direction.
The Lakers also signed Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr. to a two-way contract, and he is the type of player easily called upon if their backcourt is hit by injuries.
Adding Antetokounmpo to their final two-way slot is an incredibly low-cost move, probably worth the small amount of goodwill it may have extended towards the Antetokounmpo family.