Highlights
- The Los Angeles Lakers’ brass is split on pursuing Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young due to fit concerns.
- Young can bolster the Lakers’ offense, but he raises issues on the defensive side of the floor.
- The Lakers may need to give up significant assets to acquire Young from the Hawks.
Like most summers in the LeBron James era, the 
L.A. Lakers are expected to be one of the more aggressive teams this offseason. There are a few All-Star names who have been floated around as potential targets, with one of them being 
Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young .
Young is one of the most dynamic scorers the NBA has to offer. He also averaged 10.8 assists in 2023-24, making him an elite playmaker.
While Young is one of the league’s most consistent stars, the Lakers may question his fit next to James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers Are 50-50 On a Deal For Young
Young solves some problems for L.A., but certainly not all
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers’ brass may be split on targeting a trade for Young this summer.
Young is a name that has been linked to the Lakers for a while, though some around the league believe his switch of representation from Klutch Sports to CAA earlier this month has decreased the odds he lands in Los Angeles if he becomes available. (James and Davis are two of Klutch Sports’ most notable clients.) Regardless, it’s unclear if every key Lakers’ stakeholder would want to aggressively pursue him.
There is no doubt that Young is an extremely talented player who could potentially change the fortunes of the Lakers. But when bringing in top players, their skill sets must fit together. This is something the Lakers failed to consider three years ago when they traded for another high-usage star in Russell Westbrook .
It is still up for debate whether Young is going to be traded. Given the possibility of the Hawks disbanding the backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray , this is where Los Angeles’ window of opportunity opens.
Young Can Help The Lakers But Make Existing Issues Potentially Worse
The pros and cons of a James-Davis-Young big-3
Young would not be an exact re-run of the Westbrook trade from 2021. Young is a career 35.5 percent three-point shooter with a high volume of attempts. Many of his shots are difficult pull-up attempts. But any player attempting to fit in with James needs to be comfortable playing without the ball in his hands.
James had a 29.1 percent usage rate during the regular season. Not to mention other ball-handlers on L.A.’s roster like Austin Reaves, who the Lakers will reportedly keep out of trade talks.
The Lakers could very much use Young’s skill set, but the price would be a ton. Ideally, the Lakers would need to give up Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and one of either Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt, plus two or three picks. According to ESPN senior writer Chris Herring, the Lakers would need to strategize well to make a trade for No. 11 more than ideal.
“Young, as someone who shared ballhandling responsibility with Dejounte Murray the past two seasons in Atlanta, fits that bill, Herring wrote. 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.”
Young’s defensive vulnerabilities would cause problems as well. He has physical weaknesses that make him far harder to hide on defense than most guards in the NBA. His effort did improve at points this season. Still, it’s hard to imagine him ever improving to the point of even being a league-average defender.
But the Lakers have spent the past six decades emphasizing the importance of star power. If their history is any indication, they will at least explore the possibility of acquiring anyone of Young’s pedigree, whether he fits or not.
Lakers Will ‘Fight’ To Keep Austin Reaves Out of All Trade Talks, per Insider
With the trade market heating up, teams may show huge interest in Austin Reaves. The Lakers won’t be entertaining any calls asking for No. 15
