The Los Angeles Lakers have been looking for a third star to pair up with Lebron James and Anthony Davis, and that could end up being Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks are both in the 2023 NBA Playoffs but seem headed in different directions. It took several months, but the Lakers organization was able to get new head coach Darvin Ham the right kind of players, and the team gelled as an elite defensive unit in the last month of the season.
Related: NBA Power Rankings – Ranking all 16 teams in the 2023 NBA Playoffs
Atlanta has also seen a lot of change in recent months after head coach Nate McMillan was fired and replaced by former Utah Jazz head coach Quinn Snyder. The moves followed a season of drama, locker room issues, and rumors of Trae Young potentially ending up on the trade block in the coming months.
The Los Angeles Lakers overall seem headed in the right direction and may just be one key piece away from contending for a championship if this current group doesn’t reach the finals in 2023. However, the Atlanta Hawks look to be on the cusp of notable change this off-season. If the organization really wanted to shake things up and start fresh, the change could start with trading Young.
Los Angeles Lakers record (’22-’23): 43-39
On Monday, Heavy.com NBA insider Sean Deveney reported on some intel from an NBA executive on the Young situation and the Los Angeles Lakers’ possible role in it.
“[The Lakers] went out and got tradeable pieces. If the Hawks don’t make a move [to trade Young] in the summer, the Lakers would be a possibility next season. It would take a lot, and things would have to align just right for that. I also don’t buy that every guy who signs with [Klutch Sports] is going to the Lakers, that is obviously not the case. But this is one they have been watching.”
– Report on Lakers interest in Trae Young
While Young won’t come cheap in a potential trade before the 2024 trade deadline, the league executive also claimed the value may not be as high as some think because Young “has flaws, and they’ve sort of been exposed in the last couple of years. I am not sure how many real bidders Atlanta would get if they put him on the market.”
If the Los Angeles Lakers go far with deadline acquisition D’Angelo Russell this spring or add Kyrie Irving in the summer, a deal for Young would be a dead idea.