The Los Angeles Lakers are known to chase stars and win championships, making them one of the most prestigious franchises in the world. With LeBron James nearing the end of his career and the organization trying to cash in on one more championship, a name that has been floated around is Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.
While the front office may still be scarred from the Russell Westbrook experiment, Young is younger and could be a better fit. Awaiting what happens in the playoffs, if L.A. is an early exit, this only becomes more fuel for general manager Rob Pelinka to swing for the fences.
Atlanta was eliminated in the Play-In Tournament, so their front office has plenty of questions to answer themselves. The major one is whether to trade either Young, Dejounte Murray or both. Should Young become available, it is believed that the Lakers would be a team with a serious interest in acquiring the guard, via Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report:
If the Hawks decide Young is the guard to move, the Lakers are believed to be one of the teams with serious interest. Whether he’s the right fit is debatable (he doesn’t play well off the ball, and LeBron James usually has it in his hands to end games), but the Lakers have been known to chase players that may or may not fit (Russell Westbrook).
Pincus mentions a valid concern of the former Oklahoma Sooner with his inability to be effective off the ball. But, with James shooting a career-high 41% from 3-point range, perhaps he would be more included to transition more off-ball.
However, figuring out that balance would be the challenge, should Young be acquired by the Lakers. Regardless, the 39-year-old James does not have a lot of time left and a duo of Young and Davis would usher in the next era of Lakers basketball.
Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell & Kyrie Irving are targets for third star this summer
While the Hawks guard would make for an intriguing fit for the purple and gold, there are still other names that Pelinka is monitoring. However, with only three tradable first-round picks, the possibility of being outbid is plausible.
Some of the other names are Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who L.A. has tried trading for in the past. During every offseason there is at least one star that becomes available, so the Lakers are trying to get ahead by targeting stars they are interested in.
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