The Lakers’ season has taken a huge twist since the trade deadline. When their playoff aspirations looked practically over, Rob Pelinka pulled off enough moves to build a competitive roster for the second half of the season.
Los Angeles eventually clinched the 7th seed in the West, something that not even the most optimistic thought possible at some point. Now, the Purple and Gold are involved in a challenging series with the Grizzlies, but the front office could still be making plans for the future.
According to a league executive who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, Hawks star Trae Young could be a potential trade target for the Lakers in the offseason, especially if Atlanta don’t make an effort to have a true supporting cast around him.
Rumor: Lakers could target Trae Young
(Via Heavy.com)
“They went out and got tradeable pieces. If the Hawks don’t make a move in the summer, the Lakers would be a possibility next season,” The executive said. “It would take a lot, and things would have to align just right for that. I also don’t buy that every guy who signs with Klutch is going to the Lakers, that is obviously not the case. But this is one they have been watching.
The Hawks could look into the market on Young, but the thing is, it is not going to be as strong as they’d like. He has flaws, a lot of them, and they’ve sort of been exposed in the last couple of years. I am not sure how many real bidders Atlanta would get if they put him on the market, but it probably not as many as they think.”
However, we should take this with a grain of salt. First of all, teams may not have a clear idea about what to do in the offseason until they finish their participation in the playoffs.
Second, even if the Hawks consider the idea of letting Young go, they’d likely ask for a king’s ransom in return. And the Lakers will probably not be able to pull off this kind of deal anyway. In the meantime, they’re still competing in the playoffs and that’s the only thing they can think about right now.
