Getty Lakers and star LeBron James could be looking at a 'disaster' offseason
We have reached the point of the NBA offseason at which the Lakers might well need to try to take a big, risky swing on a player who could ultimately flame out in L.A. The Lakers have already taken big risky swings at Connecticut coach Dan Hurley, and later a big, risky swing at Klay Thompson. Both of those swings missed, badly.
But, hey, why not try again?
If the Lakers are truly in the market for a star player, why not have one of the most polarizing such players in the NBA—Trae Young of the Hawks—join one of the most polarizing players in the history of the league (LeBron James) with the NBA’s most polarizing franchise?
Young is a star scorer, no question, but the kind of player the NBA is increasingly moving away from. Already, they Hawks have dealt away half their backcourt from the past two seasons, sending off Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans, and they could well be willing to let Young go at a reduced price.
The Lakers would have to execute a salary dump to make it happen, but certainly could bring Young—who did, it should be noted, leave Klutch Sports, the Lakers-heavy agency run by Rich Paul with influence from James, this spring—to Los Angeles. It would be a desperation move, but maybe the Lakers are that desperate.
Lakers Star Search Could Get Desperate
The notion of the Lakers trading for Young is not exactly new, but after speculation about such a deal over the past year was put on the shelf in recent months, it’s being brought back to the surface by the good folks at Bleacher Report.
In examining the Lakers’ situation, analyst Greg Swartz writes that Young would be a guy worth circling back for another look.
“Trae Young is the ideal candidate,” Swartz wrote in an article titled, “Running It Back Would Be a Disaster for LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers.”
He continued: “The 25-year-old point guard could become a staple of the franchise for the next 10 years and is the alpha scorer this team needs to lessen the burden on James. His range as a three-point scorer would completely open up the floor for JJ Redick’s playbook and we’d see a nightly highlight reel of lobs to Davis.”
Trae Young Inefficient, Overpaid & Poor Defensively
Young does have the numbers that would attract the Lakers’ attention. He averaged 25.7 points per game last year, and 10.8 assists. Had he played enough games (injuries limited him to 50 appearances), he would have been No. 13 in scoring and No. 2 in assists for the season. He was an All-Star for the third time.
But there’s more to Young than shiny numbers. He shot 43.0% from the field and 37.3% from the 3-point line, not exactly a model of efficiency. He is a volume scorer of the type that has been slowly drummed out of the NBA in recent years.
Young is also a terrible defensive player. He lacks the size, at 6-foot-1 and 164 pounds, to guard point guards, and is a disaster when he is switched into a mismatch on a bigger defender. New coach JJ Redick has discussed the need for defensive versatility, and the champion Celtics showed its value. Young is the antithesis of that.
He’s also in the third year of a five-year, $215 million contract he signed in 2021.
But again, these are desperate times for James and the Lakers. Taking on a star scorer, even one who shunned the Klutch gang, might be a necessary evil.