Where Lakers Rank Among Favorites to Trade for Trae Young

Should the Lakers make a move for Young this summer?

With the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs much earlier than anyone in the organization would have liked, they now head into the offseason with multiple questions to answer. It's become clear that the Lakers roster isn't good enough to compete with the other elite teams across the NBA so changes will need to be made this summer.

There has been one area of thought where the Lakers go after a third star this offseason to pair alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, the team has pushed back against the narrative since the failed Russell Westbrook trade. But with their grim reality staring back at them, Los Angeles may be forced to try the three stars move once again.

The team has been linked with multiple names but the most common one has been point guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta has been stuck in mediocrity for years, giving thought to them moving on from Young this summer.

If the Hawks do trade Young, the Lakers are the favorites to land him. He has been connected to them for some time now and this could finally be the summer where a move is made.

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Adding Young to this team would likely mean gutting the depth that they have put together but he would bring explosive firepower on offense. Young is one of the best three-point shooters in the game today and his play-making is incredibly underrated around the NBA.

Putting him in the pick-and-roll with Davis could be lethal for opposing teams and it would set Los Angeles up for the post-James playing days. However, the biggest issue would be on the defensive end of the floor.

Due to his slender frame, Young isn't the best on defense and is consistently singled out by opponents. If the Lakers were to make this move, they would need to find quality defenders to pair alongside him to negate his issues.

While the cons are there in a potential Young trade, the Lakers may still pull the trigger on it. They know that change needs to be made and Young could be their best bet in helping to deliver another title before James hangs it up.

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