Lakers News: Los Angeles Targeting Trade for Young East All-Star

LA may go the "Big Three" route again... because that's worked so well in the recent past.

Oct 11, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka (left) and head coach Darvin Ham. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are aware they need... well, something, following a brutal 4-1 first round series defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Although L.A. led most of the time across those five contests, they couldn't preserve their frequent double-digit advantages by the time the final buzzer sounded against the reigning champs.

Now, it appears the team is poised to put together another "Big Three" triumvirate with a point guard who will take the ball out of LeBron James' hands too much and doesn't play defense. Is this a bad case of deja vu, or is this actually an idea team president Rob Pelinka is seriously entertaining?

According to Jovan Buha, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Los Angeles is considering trading to acquire All-Star Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young this offseason, in an effort to bolster is three point shooting punch and playmaking around James. Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports that he's hearing similar rumblings. Los Angeles has three tradable first round draft picks it could include in any deal, plus the contracts of intriguing young talents like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D'Angelo Russell (although the team will likely want to hold on to Reaves, who signed a generous, below-market $53.8 million deal to stay in Los Angeles last summer).

Young is a bit of a mercurial figure. He does not seem to be particularly well-liked around the league or often by his own teammates, as his is a heliocentric offense that frequently freezes out others. There is, however no denying his talent. Could he thrive alongside All-Stars James and Anthony Davis? Perhaps, but he is a risk, and the team would struggle to supplement a core of Young, James and Davis with the kind of versatile, 3-and-D wings L.A. would need to truly compete with talented, big young squads like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

More Lakers: LeBron James’ Stance on Teaming With Bronny Has Changed