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The Los Angeles Lakers will be pursuing a third star to place alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis this upcoming offseason, and the name that has “continually” been mentioned has been Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic provided the report during a Q-and-A session when asked if L.A. would go after a third star (55:30 mark).
“Yes, they are,” Buha said, per Jesse Cinquini of Lakers Daily. “And I can confirm that from multiple sources. They are going third-star hunting this offseason. And we’ll see how that affects the D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) situation. We’ll see how—you probably have to give up Austin [Reaves] in almost any…third-star trade.
“… Now, who’s available? The one name I continually hear is Trae Young. He’s been to Laker playoff games before. He’s a Klutch Sports client. That’s probably the most realistic one right now. What happens with Dallas and Kyrie [Irving]? Do they flame out? Do they lose in the play-in? Do they lose in round one? Does Dallas ultimately break that up? And then what’s the market for Kyrie?
“Donovan Mitchell, it seems like there’s been a little bit more growing optimism and buzz that he’s gonna stay in Cleveland. But even if he leaves, the two New York teams have reportedly been the favorites just because he’s from the greater New York area.”
Young, who is in his sixth NBA season, has averaged 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game this year. The three-time All-Star’s apex occurred in 2020-21 when he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the Hawks haven’t fared as well since, and various roster changes plus a coaching switch haven’t led to more success. They’ve been a fringe playoff team for a few years and now sit 34-39, 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks will likely need to fight their way out of the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs.
They aren’t close to being championship contenders, and the Young-Dejounte Murray partnership just hasn’t worked out.
As the Hawks have struggled, Young trade rumors have been persistent and should only ramp up this summer.
Of note, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Jan. 23 that L.A. has had internal discussions to pursue a “bona fide star” such as Young or the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell.
On the Lakers’ end, they’re struggling just to make the playoffs as well and look destined for a spot in the play-in tournament.
They largely ran back last year’s team, which made the Western Conference Finals, but changes could certainly be forthcoming to maximize the James-Davis window as best the Lakers can should the team endure another disappointing postseason exit.
Adding Young won’t be cheap, as he has three seasons left on a five-year, $215 million contract (he does have an early termination option that he can use after the 2025-26 campaign).
But the smoke connecting Young to the Lakers at this point simply can’t be ignored.
