Getty Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
It’s the offseason so the Los Angeles Lakers are bound to get linked to many potentially available stars in trade rumors. One surprise name to get linked to the team was Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. After the Lakers’ season ended, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the team could be interested in a trade for the guard.
Young is a Klutch Sports client, which is the same agency that represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The guard was also seen at a number of games in Los Angeles after the Hawks’ season ended. That only added fuel to the fire that he might end up on the Lakers. That’s easier said than done. Any trade between the Hawks and Los Angeles is bound to be complicated. Plus, Young has never expressed a desire to leave the team. He recently had a chance to discuss the Lakers rumors and believes there’s nothing to the story right now.
“A lot of people made a lot of things out of me being at games,” Young said on the June 1 episode of the “From The Point” podcast. “I’ve been to a lot of games throughout my years. I’ve always been a fan of the game… most of the time I’ve got a friend playing that I’m there watching, like [Michael Porter, Jr.] for Denver.”
Could the Lakers Even Pull off a Trade for Young?
In recent months, there has been talk of the Hawks trading Young. Why would a team like Atlanta want to trade away a 24-year-old two-time All-Star? He’s not much of a defender and his personality could be a bad match with the front office. That said, it’s seeming unlikely a trade happens, especially with the Lakers.
If the Hawks are going to trade Young, it’s going to be in an effort to undergo a total rebuild. That means they want picks and young players. That’s not something the Lakers have an abundance of. A package of Austin Reaves and picks could be enough to get some players but that’s likely not enough for Young. While he’d be an interesting fit with LeBron and Davis, it’s difficult to see a realistic scenario where the two sides come to a deal.
Do Lakers Need a 3rd Star?
The Lakers have always been a team of superstars. Whenever they have won championships, it has been led by stars. Sometimes, that may cloud the team from making the best moves possible. The Lakers already have two of the biggest names in the NBA with LeBron and Davis. Two years ago, they attempted to build a superstar trio by adding Russell Westbrook. That was an unmitigated disaster that cost the team two seasons.
If the Lakers learned anything from that trade, it’s that a team needs depth to win a championship. They added depth when they finally traded Westbrook and almost made it to the NBA Finals despite a disastrous start to the season. LeBron may put pressure on the front office to find a third star but that’s not the right way to build a basketball team. The Lakers should be bringing back players who performed well last season while looking to add a starting center and 3-and-D wing.