SUMMARY
- The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring Trae Young in the future.
- NBA fans do not believe that the Lakers will be able to pull off a trade for Young.
Recent reports reveal that the Los Angeles Lakers have a long-term interest in acquiring Trae Young and adding him to their roster. As many members of the basketball community should be aware, Young is the star point guard for the Atlanta Hawks and has been the franchise cornerstone ever since joining the team.
Since the Lakers already have a significant amount of talented stars on their rosters such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, one might be interested in finding out more about why Los Angeles is interested in throwing Young into the mix. With that being said, a closer look at the situation is certainly required.
The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for a future without LeBron James
Consdering that LeBron James is still playing at a high level despite being 39 years old and in Year 21, fans might struggle to understand that he is at the very end of his career and could retire at any point in time. In the event that LeBron leaves the Lakers to join another team and play alongside Bronny, or retire, the Lakers could be left virtually empty-handed.
Jovan Buha is a senior NBA reporter who covers the Lakers. He recently broke a story indicating that the Lakers planned to acquire Trae Young in the offseason. After all, having Young would help the Lakers prepare for and contend in a future without King James.
The Lakers view Trae Young as a third star who can help push for a championship now, but also bridge the gap to the future for a new era alongside Anthony Davis, per @jovanbuha (https://t.co/flyVQU3Z4w).
Young, who is also represented by Klutch Sports, is likely going to be Los… pic.twitter.com/DxekcuxFJv
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 15, 2024
While this idea certainly holds some merit, not a lot of fans believed that the Lakers would be able to make a good bid for Trae given the current situation.
Fans doubt the Lakers’ chances to secure Trae Young from the Hawks
Upon hearing that the Lakers were interested in Trae, fans initially wondered why they would consider trading for another point guard with D’Angelo Russell playing some of the best basketball of his career in recent times. Since Buha’s report indicated that the Lakers could offer 3 first-round picks in return for Young, fans also opined that the offer wouldn’t be enough to urge the Hawks to trade away their franchise cornerstone.
This the Lakers type shit i’ll never understand. They got a PG in DLo who, even with his inconsistencies, is proven and can flatout hoop, who has great chemistry with AD (good for the post LeBron era), and somehow they’re looking for another PG? 🤯
Bro, make it make sense
— Gonzi (@JonGonzalvo) February 15, 2024
Not three first round picks. Nope
— Marcus🇭🇹🇺🇸 (@plisou13) February 16, 2024
More importantly, the Lakers have a gaping hole in their roster in terms of defensive guards. Since Trae can be considered a worse defender when compared to Austin Reaves or D’Angelo Russell, adding him to their roster wouldn’t address the Lakers’ problems. For all of the above reasons, fans doubt that the Lakers will be able to make a move for Trae and bring him over from the Atlanta Hawks.