The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly considering making a play for Atlanta Hawks superstar guard Trae Young this offseason.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Lakers brass have had "internal discussions" about what a "hypothetical trade offer" for Young could possibly entail during the offseason.
The Lakers' 2022-23 season came to an end Monday night when they fell 113-111 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, completing a sweep for Nikola Jokić and Co.
With both LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing significant time during the regular season, the Lakers had to go through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs.
Both LeBron and AD were healthy enough to play in the postseason, and the trade-deadline acquisitions of D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura made a significant difference. L.A. went all the way to the Western Conference Finals as a No. 7 seed.
Ultimately, the Lakers had no answers for Jokić, who is averaging a triple-double during the playoffs and was named Western Conference Finals MVP.
Young would not help the Lakers in terms of slowing down Jokić, but he would give them more offensive firepower. He'd also take some responsibility off James' plate in terms of ball-handling.
The 24-year-old Young was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He has established himself as one of the most dynamic guards in the league during his five-year NBA career.
The two-time All-Star boasts career averages of 25.5 points, 9.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 made three-pointers and 1.0 steals per game.
While Young was not named an All-Star this season, he averaged 26.2 points, 10.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game for a Hawks team that made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta has made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons with Young at the helm. While the Hawks were eliminated in the first round in both 2022 and 2023, they went on a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported last month that the Hawks' front office "has the green light from ownership to do whatever it wants to with the roster, which includes considering trade opportunities involving" Young, it is somewhat difficult to envision a deal happening any time soon.
The Hawks acquired guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs last offseason with the apparent desire to see what they can build around him and Young moving forward.
Young is under contract for at least three more seasons, so the Hawks won't necessarily have a sense of urgency to trade him or sign him to a new deal.
Perhaps a team could convince the Hawks to deal Young in exchange for a package of promising players and draft picks, but the Lakers don't have much to offer. Any trade for Young would likely require the Lakers to offer James or Davis. The former would never happen, and the latter doesn't seem probable unless the Lakers feel AD's durability issues will continue to hold him back for years to come.
A triumvirate of LeBron, AD and Young would perhaps make the Lakers the favorites in the Western Conference next season, but Los Angeles is short on quality trade chips.
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May 23, 2023 at 09:26PM
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Trae Young Trade Rumors: Lakers Have Had 'Internal' Talks About Hypothetical Offer - Bleacher Report
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