The Los Angeles Lakers know they need to make improvements to their roster this offseason, but the question is will that be in the form of adding depth or chasing another third star.
If they go the latter route then perhaps the most likely star to be traded this summer is Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. He has been linked to the Lakers for a while now and although his lack of size and defense are issues, there’s no doubting that the fit offensively with Anthony Davis and LeBron James could be a good one.
When it comes to what Young prefers if he is dealt, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs would all be appealing destinations for the point guard:
The Hawks, of course, are expected to engage rival teams on trade scenarios for both Trae Young and Dejounte Murray throughout this offseason. The Lakers, Pelicans and Spurs remain three destinations that would be appealing to Young, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and teams in the lottery are not discounting the possibility the Spurs could engineer a move up to the top slot, which could open the door for Atlanta possibly selecting Clingan at No. 4.
It’s still hard to imagine the Lakers trading all of their limited assets for a small guard after having done something similar in 2021 with Russell Westbrook and seeing it fail.
There aren’t many impact players currently available though and with reports indicating that James and Davis want the Lakers to go ‘all-in’ by adding another elite player, perhaps the front office caves and completes a deal for Young.
With the 2024 NBA Draft and free agency on the horizon, nothing is currently off the table for L.A. as the organization could go in a number of different directions to try to improve.
Lakers also interested in Hawks’ Dejounte Murray?
Similar to the Lakers, the Hawks are an organization looking to improve and has options to do so, of course armed with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
If Atlanta choose to keep Young then they likely will trade their other All-Star guard in Dejounte Murray. The Lakers unsuccessfully tried to trade for Murray at the deadline last season but have reported interest in revisiting those talks heading into the summer.
Murray is a bigger and stronger defender than Young so may be a better fit for L.A.
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