Changes are coming to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. We’ve already seen Darvin Ham get shoved out of town, and the search is on for a new head coach in LA, but that’s not all that’s changing.
LeBron James is also set for free agency after reportedly opting out of his contract, and while most expect the Lakers to work out a deal with the future Hall of Famer, they also have other areas of the roster to address, whether LeBron stays or not.
The cold, hard truth is that even with LeBron and Anthony Davis, the Lakers still need more help. However, there’s a strong sense that they’re finally in a good position to do something about it, thanks to their multiple tradeable assets, including Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, and D’Angelo Russell.
But which players would the Lakers target via trade?
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Los Angeles Lakers trade targets include Trae Young, three other All-Stars
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Los Angeles Lakers have already been internally discussing trades for a quartet of All-Stars. Each is rumored to be available, but whether their teams are actually willing to negotiate could be a different story once the offseason carousel begins to spin.
Buha names Atlanta’s Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland as four primary Lakers trade targets this summer. On the surface, the targets make sense for the Lake Show, they even previously tried trading for Murray, but their initial offer of Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and their 2029 first-round pick wasn’t enough to swing a deal.
Meanwhile, it’s looking more likely that the Cavaliers will retain Mitchell with a maximum contract extension, but that could prompt a trade demand from Garland, who may feel disrespected by Cleveland committing to his All-Star backcourt partner.
As to Atlanta, they’ve long been rumored to break up their backcourt after Young and Murray failed to bring the Hawks to the next level of competition. The current belief is that Atlanta needs a roster shift, but whether they’ll find more value in trading Young or Murray remains to be seen.
Either way, the Lakers are expected to be aggressive this summer, and while their trade targets start with the above four names, there’s always the possibility of another star unexpectedly becoming available.
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