The Lakers have a plan to get Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young

• The Lakers want a third star.
• They can trade as many as three first-round picks.
• They will be very aggressive in their pursuit of talent.

The Lakers Will Pursue A Third Star

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs. This was the second time that has happened since LeBron James arrived in Southern California, and that NBA championship in 2020 looks more like an outlier by the year.

Anthony Davis has posted great numbers, and he played his most games as a Laker this season. Nonetheless, he might not be the star player they need to take the torch off James.

With that in mind, they might look to give their star duo a helping hand in the offseason. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, they’ll look to move their first-round pick to get a player who could help them win now.

The Lakers Will Trade Their First-Round Picks

“Yes — the answer is yes [They want to trade the pick],” Buha said. “The Lakers are going to look to move that No. 17 pick on draft night. It will be the first time that they could use all three of their tradable first-round picks. Whether that is a significant move like a trade for Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell or a smaller move bringing in a 3-and-D wing or another big man remains to be seen.”

Trae Young

Buha adds that the Lakers will finally have enough appealing assets to get a target. That sets the table for a big move to also help convince LeBron to run it back:

“And it’s a prime opportunity for them to potentially get either a third star or to improve the roster by attaching one or two or three of those picks alongside players under contract to upgrade the starting lineup or the bench. But it’s the first time they’ll have more than one pick at their disposal. And my understanding is that they are going to be aggressive. And they’re going to be active. And they’re going to try and use that,” added Buha.

see also

NBA Rumors: LeBron James doesn"t want to retire yet, Lakers have a plan

The Lakers will always stand a chance for as long as LeBron and Davis are there. But the title window might be closing — if it’s not closed already — so they need to exhaust all avenues to get better while they still can.