Trae Young to the Lakers Is a Blockbuster Trade That Needs to Happen This Offseason According To ESPN

Expect the Lakers to be interested in trading for Trae Young this offseason. Will the Hawks be interested in trading him?

Jan 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It is no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to try and attempt to acquire a third star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason. One of those stars that has been mentioned quite often is Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young. The Hawks are likely going to be going through a roster shakeup this offseason and that means that in all likelihood, the backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray is going to be split up this offseason.

If Young is made available (I still don't think he actually will be), the Lakers are guaranteed to be interested. In a recent article on ESPN, Chris Herring (who does an excellent job covering the league) wrote that Young to the Lakers is one move that needs to happen this offseason:

"If Los Angeles loses James and replaces him with George, who's settled into handling the ball less, the Lakers would be wise to find someone who takes no issue with handling it more.

Young, as someone who shared ballhandling responsibility with Dejounte Murray the past two seasons in Atlanta, fits that bill. His efficiency can wane; particularly from deep, but he's also a playmaker whose penetration would create easy looks for Davis, who would immediately become the best big Young has ever played with. You can already imagine how confused defenders will be in trying to decipher Young-Davis pick-and-rolls, and ascertaining whether Young is shooting floaters -- he ranked in the league's 98th percentile, per Second Spectrum, in terms of how often he attempted them -- or throwing lobs for Davis.

All that said: Young isn't a free agent. Acquiring him would mean the Lakers deciding to part ways with draft picks and a handful of very solid players: guard Austin Reaves, forward Rui Hachimura and one of either Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt.

Russell, who the club held onto at the trade deadline as he was in the midst of the hottest shooting stretch of his career, would need to opt out in order for Young to become a Laker."

In terms of the Laker's trade targets this offseason, Young was listed as the most realistic one byBleacher Report's Andy Bailey recently:

"After suffering a first-round exit, it seems clear the Los Angeles Lakers have to do something to inch closer to the level that contenders like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder are on.

And the most obvious move to do so is the long-rumored Trae Young deal.

Young's trade value could reportedly be a bit lower than expected, and that could mean L.A.'s offer (two or three role players, potentially including Austin Reaves, and a couple of picks) could be enough for Atlanta to give him up.

Of course, Young's playmaking and shooting don't make the Lakers any bigger or better defensively. Those are probably their biggest needs, but the trade market doesn't have a player who'd check those boxes right now."

The Atlanta Hawks are facing one of the biggest offseasons in the NBA and that was true even before they landed the No. 1 pick. The Hawks have a ton of options in front of them, but the biggest question remains what they will do with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Since trading for Murray in the summer of 2022, the results have been underwhelming. Atlanta had a first-round exit vs the Boston Celtics last season and then lost in the play-in tournament to the Chicago Bulls this season. Many expect the Hawks to make a change, but which point guard will they trade and where will they trade them?

Atlanta was shopping Murray up until the trade deadline this season and one of the teams that was interested in Murray was the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are on the hunt for a star to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but it might not be Murray that they are after. There have been rumors about them being in on Young and wanting to trade for him this summer. Since Young left Klutch Sports and made the move to CAA, some of that talk has lessened.

When looking at a potential trade, it is hard to get fired up if you are the Hawks about what the Lakers could offer outside of some draft picks. Austin Reaves is an intriguing player, but should not be the centerpiece of a deal for a player the caliber of Trae Young. I don't think this is the kind of trade that the Hawks should make. The picks are too far in the future and with Young on the Lakers, he at least gives them a high floor where they won't be among the worst teams in the league, making those picks less valuable. Reaves and Hachimura would just be role players alongside Murray and whoever the Hawks select at No. 1. It gets talked about a lot, but I don't think the Lakers trade offer for Young is all that attractive, but that does not get talked about as much.

On ESPN's Get Up after the Lakers went down in the playoffs, ESPN's Brian Windhorst brought up Young as a trade target for the Lakers this offseason.

"There are opportunities for them, not necessarily in free agency, but via trade. They will have up to three first round picks that they can trade, starting on draft night, including this years first round pick if they want to and they have some pieces on their roster that they can use in trade. Now, what player would that be? Well, we will have to see what happens with star players as the season ends across the league. I think one name that you will hear as we get into this is Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks may look to break up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray. The Lakers were interested in trading for Dejounte Murray during this season. Trae is the type of player that multiple teams will have interest in if the Hawks decide to make a move. I am not sure that he solves a lot of what the Lakers ills were, perimeter defense was an issue for the Lakers this season and in this series, that is something that Trae is not going to help with, but he is definitely a guy that will super charge your offense and he would look potentially amazing next to LeBron and AD, but there are other options and things that will develop over the next two months."

This summer is shaping up to be a potentially wild one in the NBA and the Hawks might be at the center of it no matter who they decide to trade.