Getty Trae Young hugging LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers can’t really start to focus on their roster until they hire a new head coach but with JJ Redick appearing to be the driver’s seat for the job, the team should at least be exploring their options. Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been linked to the team for a while now but a deal hasn’t come to fruition.
If the Lakers want Young, it’s likely going to cost a lot. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report pitched a three-team trade that would also involve the Toronto Raptors. The Hawks would get Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, a 2028 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles, a 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles and a 2031 first-round pick from Los Angeles and Jalen McDaniels from the Raptors. The Lakers would get Young and Kelly Olynyk.
“Despite the steady stream of criticism that’s followed Young for most of his career, he averaged 27.1 points, 9.9 assists and 2.8 threes per game over the last five seasons,” Bailey wrote in a June 1 column. “He’s one of the best and most dynamic offensive engines and pick-and-roll playmakers in the NBA. The Lakers also might feel a bit better about their post-LeBron James with a Young-Anthony Davis duo in place.”
The Lakers would be giving up a lot in this trade but would get a star point guard to pair with Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Kelly Olynyk Would Also Help Los Angeles Lakers
If the Lakers were to make this trade, they’d be sacrificing many of their best depth pieces. Reaves, Hachimura and Vanderbilt are important players for Los Angeles. Being able to land Olynyk in this deal would make it easier to lose some of those key players.
“With his size, passing ability and outside shot, Kelly Olynyk would fit seamlessly on just about any contender, but that’s especially true with the Lakers,” Bailey wrote. “The 6’11” big would move Davis back to his natural spot at the 4 without sacrificing any floor spacing.”
One of the Lakers’ downfalls this season was not having a capable big man next to Davis. Christian Wood was hurt for the playoff run but didn’t have a particularly great season. Olynyk is a dependable big man who is a solid shooter. He’d be a good fit next to Davis and having him play less center could be a good thing for Los Angeles.
Do Los Angeles Lakers Want Another Star?
More and more the NBA is moving away from trying to build teams around three or more max stars. Having three players on max contracts makes it very difficult to build out the rest of the roster.
When the Lakers won the championship in 2020, they had a deep roster that was led by Davis and James. They tried to add Russell Westbrook to the fold and that was a disaster. Young is a different player than Westbrook but he would create some of the same problems. It remains to be seen what the Lakers might do.
They did try to build a deeper roster around Davis and James this season but lost in Round 1 of the playoffs. General manager Rob Pelinka could change his thought process once again and go star-hunting this offseason.