Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers will perpetually be linked to some of the biggest and most impactful names in the trade market every single season. It is in their nature, and it will never go away as long as a superstar like LeBron James is calling LA home.
With James not so subtly teasing the possibility of his retirement, the need for LA making a big addition relatively soon has reached a critical juncture point. While Kyrie Irving has been the named most often linked to LA, the latest NBA rumors make it sound like another high-volume scorer is on the market.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers will weigh the pros and cons of a Trae Young trade that sent whatever tradeable assets the (and likely a third team( have left to the Atlanta Hawks. Young would certainly be an offensive upgrade, so much so that LA could be a contender once again.
With James having at most two seasons left and his lack of patience for player development, LA has two more years before they have to pay the piper. In a West that is getting deeper following Denver’s Finals run, adding a player like Young could be a major point of difference.
The Lakers have had "internal discussions" about hypothetical summer trade proposals for Trae Young, per @jovanbuha pic.twitter.com/5i57QZ6xTO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 23, 2023
NBA rumors: Los Angeles Lakers considering Trae Young trade
Young averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists per game with Atlanta despite the arrival of Dejounte Murray. Young’s stats would obviously take a dive playing with James and Davis, but no point guard out there on the market can give this offense a serious nitro boost.
Young will require multiple first-round picks unprotected, and the Lakers might not be able to compensate them well there. Finding multiple rotation-ready players with a higher ceiling than Malik Beasley will be a challenge, and LA needs to do that if they don’t want to be laughed off the phone.
The defense and financial obligations are serious, so much so they don’t warrant repeating. However, this situation does seem eerily familiar to the Russell Westbrook situation. Young is a much better shooter, but adding another ball-dominant player might not mesh with James and Davis. Lakers fans would love the star power.
Another Day, Another Opportunity💯
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 23, 2023
Young is going to require a ton of moving and shifting from Pelinka, and the Westbrook trade shows that such moves can often be more trouble than they are worth, but an ultimatum from James might be enough to get the Lakers
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