TREAD NEWS: This season, the Lakers has placed a Super Bowl player in a huge trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets may have highlighted the disparity between the two squads.
The Lakers went 9-3 in February and are currently 6-3 after the trade deadline. However, they are in tenth place in the Western Conference rankings. They are also 17-22 against winning clubs this season.That fact might pave the way for a massive trade this summer.
“The Lakers choosing to hold on to their 2029 first-round pick at the deadline now gives them the opportunity to go star chasing this summer,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz said on February 29. “Young could become available given the direction of the Hawks and with his free agency just two years away.”
Swartz proposes a potential trade scenario in which the Lakers go all-in to sign Young, who shattered the Hawks’ franchise record for three-pointers on February 14 this offseason.
“Los Angeles can’t rely on LeBron James’ scoring forever,” Swartz stated in an email. “Putting Young in the starting lineup with James, a premier defender in Anthony Davis and some shooters would make this one of the best opening fives in the NBA.”
Young, 25, is averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 assists, and 1.4 steals this season. He is at least after undergoing surgery on his pinky finger.
The three-time All-Star is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract.
That would put him on track for unrestricted free agency in three years. But Young has a $48.9 million early termination option for the 2026-27 season. He has to the Hawks on numerous occasions.
However, Young, who owns a home in Los Angeles, has publicly expressed his desire to win. The Hawks are 26-34 this season and 2-2 since he went down.
“It wouldn’t be the first time Rich Paul and Klutch pushed a client to the Lakers,” Swartz stated in an email.James and Davis are the most notable instances. However, the Lakers have signed multiple Klutch Sports Group clients throughout the years, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and, most recently, Jarred Vanderbilt.
On January 9, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that Young is one of several top players the Lakers are anticipated to target.
He joins Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving.Young might be the most natural fit, especially if James leaves. Outside sources believe he is interested in a deal with the Lakers.
$215 million All-Star Would ‘Welcome’ Trade to the Lakers, Insider Says.