The 2024 trade deadline has come and gone without any action from the Lakers, but the upcoming offseason would be a very different case. As reported by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Hawks star Trae Young will be a top target in Los Angeles this summer and the Lakers believe he can be the third star they’ve been seeking.
“They [Lakers] view him as a guy who can step in and help the group now,” said Buha, “and do a lot of the things LeBron has been asking for in a ball-handling guard. Also, he bridges the gap to the future as someone who can grow alongside Anthony Davis and who would really be the ideal compliment to his game. They see him as a supercharged version of [D’Angelo Russell] and I think he’ll be their top target.”
The Lakers were involved in a number of trade talks this season, and one of them was for Young. Of course, the team was never able to finalize a deal for Trae (or any other player) and they ended up retaining all their roster. Going into next season, the Lakers could look very different based on what happens in July, when Rob Pelinka is expected to make his latest blockbuster trade.
According to Pelinka himself, the opportunity just wasn’t right for the Lakers to make a move this season and he preferred to keep his assets for an established co-star instead of chasing a minimal-impact role-player. Trae Young, while far from the perfect point guard, is an ideal fit for the Lakers and he’s the type of player LeBron was pushing for his team to trade for. As a premier shooter and expert playmaker, he’s everything the Lakers have been looking for in their starting guard and he’d be the perfect engine to power the franchise’s next era.
Is Trae Young The Missing Piece For The Los Angeles Lakers?
This season, Young is averaging 26.7 points, 10.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 42.7% shooting. He was just selected to his third All-Star team and has once again established himself as one of the top guards in the East. But is he the guy that will push the Lakers over the edge?
In Atlanta, Young has had an up-and-down tenure overall, including seasons where he missed the playoffs and one where he advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. This season, however, Trae has failed to make the Hawks relevant in any way and his leadership has become an increasing area of concern.
But for a Lakers team that is desperate for any kind of spark offensively, Young would be a miracle for them. As great as D’Angelo Russell has been recently, he isn’t the most reliable performer and it would be much easier for LeBron and Davis to lean on an accomplished star like Trae to lead their offense from game to game.
This summer, nobody knows how serious the Hawks will be about moving on from their prized point guard but you can be sure that the Lakers will be aggressive in making offers for their primary target. While they don’t have much to give, a collection of picks and players that include D’Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves should be more than enough to get the conversation started…
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