It’s going to take more than two teams to move Giannis Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee, and the Los Angeles Lakers appear eager to turn that chaos into opportunity.

The Lakers are not positioning themselves as a destination for Antetokounmpo. Instead, league conversations surrounding a potential Giannis-to-Miami blockbuster have opened a path for Los Angeles to address its long-standing need for frontcourt help. In that process, Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has emerged as one of the Lakers’ primary points of focus.

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.

“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.”

That distinction matters. While Stewart’s contract helps make the larger trade mechanics work, the Lakers’ interest extends beyond simple salary matching. Team sources indicate Los Angeles views Stewart as a legitimate frontcourt target should Detroit decide he is expendable.

Irwin added that if Detroit acquires Tyler Herro as part of the expanded trade framework, the Pistons could face difficult financial decisions involving their young core.

“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.”

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 trade talks could make Stewart available

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.

For the Lakers, Stewart sits at the center of that puzzle. His four-year, $60 million extension carries a manageable $15 million annual salary, making him valuable both as a rotation contributor and as a trade asset.

By most standards, it’s a bargain for an aggressive, versatile big man who 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.

Stewart’s contract is precisely why he keeps resurfacing in these discussions. Detroit may need the flexibility, while the Lakers see a productive frontcourt player whose salary fits neatly into a larger transaction.

On the other hand, 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 which 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.

The catch for LA, in this expanded version, 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 has been linked to the Lakers for years, with multiple reports dating back to his tenure with the Indiana Pacers that linked him to LA’s search for a rim-protecting center.

The 6-foot-11 center averaged 11.9 points and 1.6 blocks last season while shooting 38.3% from three-point range. His ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor would make him an obvious fit alongside Doncic.

Still, Turner represents one possible outcome of a much larger negotiation. Stewart remains the player most directly connected to the Lakers’ current conversations with Detroit and the contract most critical to the structure under discussion.

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.

Whether Los Angeles ultimately lands Stewart, Turner, or another asset entirely, the organization appears determined to leverage a potential Antetokounmpo blockbuster into a frontcourt upgrade of its own. And at the moment, Stewart’s $15 million deal may be the piece that makes everything else possible.