If the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young are truly working on a trade, then the Los Angeles Lakers could be in a position to benefit. Not by trading for Young himself, but by acting as a third team in a potential deal. If they can find a way to send out expiring salary to a team that would rather clear cap space, they could add some intriguing role players to their rotation.
The Washington Wizards have been reported as the primary team showing interest, but a bunch of other teams could make sense, too. If the Sacramento Kings wanted a shake-up, perhaps they would pursue a deal. Teams like the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks could be potential landing spots, too.
Regardless, the Lakers could have an interesting opportunity here.
Lakers should act as third team in Trae Young deal
Since the Wizards were mentioned as a potential landing spot, let’s start there. If the Hawks aren’t infatuated with Corey Kispert, he could be a guy the Lakers could snag.
The Hawks could get CJ McCollum, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, and draft capital (from the Wizards and Lakers), while the Lakers added Kispert. He’d be a perfect 3-and-D player to put next to Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
Even taking a swing at a guy like Cam Whitmore could make sense. The Lakers could even try to grab Justin Champagnie from Washington.
In the case of Sacramento, the Lakers could target a Keon Ellis or Malik Monk in a potential trade. Either one of those guys would be a perfect backcourt addition for the Lakers.
If the Raptors wanted in on the Young sweepstakes, jumping in and trading expiring salary for Jakob Poeltl could make some sense for LA. He’s dealt with injury issues this year, but when healthy, he’s a quality starting center.
And, if nothing else, having his salary as a trade chip heading into next season would be nice, especially considering Gabe Vincent and Kleber’s salaries are going to be off the books.
The Heat could have some guys for LA to look at (Simone Fontecchio or even Dru Smith), and the same can be said for the Bucks (Kyle Kuzma, for the tradable salary next season, Gary Trent Jr., or Myles Turner).
Even the Hawks could send guys to LA. Scooping up a Mouhamed Gueye or Luke Kennard could help the Lakers in the short term.
It may not be super flashy, but getting involved in a potential Young trade could help the Lakers seriously improve their depth. Teams could want expiring salaries, and the Lakers have that in Kleber and Vincent (plus draft capital and Knecht, a potential project piece looking for a new home).