The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the middle of a playoff run, but a new report suggests that they have big future plans. The Lakers managed to remake their roster midseason and make the playoffs despite a 2-11 start; now they are going toe-to-toe with the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies.
Even still, their roster upgrades may not be enough to carry them to the NBA Finals, likely resulting in further changes in the offseason. One possible change could be that they target all-star Trae Young if he isnāt moved to another team this summer. That might seem far-fetched, but, according to Sean Deveney, it is a possibility.
The Lakers have ties to Trae Young, but the odds of landing him appear low.
The new collective bargaining agreement, which was passed less than a month ago, may throw a wrench in those plans before they are even put into motion, however. The new CBA seems tailor-made to stop teams like the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Golden State Warriors from continuing to spend the way they have without consequences.
In fact, had the deal been in place sooner, the Lakers wouldnāt have been able to pull off the Russell Westbrook trade that saw them acquire DāAngelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.
They were able to because they agreed to trade their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, but under the luxury tax, teams are now restricted from sending first-rounders that are six years out. Unless the Lakers are willing to trade Anthony Davis, they probably arenāt going to be able to land Young without tradeable picks. Stranger things have happened, though. Oklahoma City acquired Paul George without giving up any picks, then later flipped him for five firsts and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Whoās to say that the Lakers canāt pull off a similar trade? The Atlanta Hawks, technically. It should at least be noted that they appear open to considering moving Young, and if he has any say, he might choose the Lakers for all the obvious reasons. Chief among them is that he is a Klutch client and the Lakers have become a haven for other players that are represented by the same agency.
Young putting internal pressure on the Hawks to get them to trade him is certainly possible. Also, he could scare away potential suitors by making it clear that he would bolt to Los Angeles the first chance he got.
All in all, while the odds of Young ending up in Los Angeles may be low, the Lakers have a long history of figuring out ways to land disgruntled stars from other teams. Maybe, just maybe, they figure out a way to do it yet again.
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Author: Cal Durrett
April 22, 2023 | 8:00 am
