The Los Angeles Lakers will take no comfort in the fact that they competed hard against the Denver Nuggets, as the end result remains the same; they lost their first-round series against the reigning champion in five games, and two of those defeats came in such excruciating fashion with Jamal Murray hammering the nail in their season's coffin.

Now, what awaits the Lakers is a pivotal offseason. LeBron James is not getting any younger, so the urgency to win and make the most of the remaining years of his career remains. Thus, major changes may be coming for the Purple and Gold, especially when it has become clear that they don't have enough to compete with the best of the best.

To that end, it seems as though the Lakers will be rekindling their interest in an All-Star point guard from the Atlanta Hawks. This time, however, it won't be Dejounte Murray that they primarily set their sights on. According to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers are expected to seriously entertain the idea of a Trae Young trade.

“The Lakers are expected to be aggressive in the market, with Atlanta’s Trae Young one of the more intriguing names out there. The Lakers’ room could be split on him as they try to make the most of this precious time in which James and Davis are still playing at an elite level. He’ll be one of many names that is expected to be discussed,” as per The Athletic's latest article on the Lakers following their playoff exit.

The Hawks are widely expected to ponder the possibility of selling away some of their best players after they have done nothing but stagnate since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. But is trading for Trae Young the Lakers' best shot at extending LeBron James and Anthony Davis' window of contention?

The case for a Trae Young trade

It's not too difficult to see the merits of a potential Lakers trade for Trae Young. Young is only 25 years old, and he's right in the middle of his prime. Moreover, he still has a two guaranteed years left on his deal, so it's not like the Lakers will be blowing a few of their trade assets for someone who could walk immediately.

Young, for all his faults, is an offensive system all on his own. He is one of the best ballhandlers in the league and one of the best pick-and-roll navigators, and he'll make life very easy for Anthony Davis. Davis criticized the Lakers for not knowing what they were doing at times, included in which is the inability to get him the ball late in games, and Young solves that problem by being one of the best passers in league history — especially to athletic bigs.

Trae Young worked very well with the likes of Clint Capela, John Collins, and Jalen Johnson, as those three feasted on the easy looks Young tends to create. The Lakers would find it much easier for Davis to emerge as the team's number one option, especially when Young creates so much panic on the court with his floater game which he can easily disguise as a lob pass.

Unlike with Russell Westbrook, Young can actually space the floor — paving the way for the Lakers to construct an offense that balances ballhandling duties between LeBron James and a third star. Young, throughout his career, has been a heliocentric offensive force, which has led to huge scoring and assist numbers. But with James, Young should have a few opportunities to work on his off-ball game, and this past season, he shot 38.9 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, albeit on only 2.0 attempts per contest.

Young is a huge upgrade over D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, and there might be another level for the Lakers to unlock from him on the offensive end once he's paired up with the best teammates of his career in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Will it be worth it for the Lakers?

Alas, there will be plenty of questions as to whether it'll be worth it for the Lakers to go all-in and trade for Trae Young. The Hawks will be demanding a ton in return, including all of their available first-round picks (2024 or 2025, depending on which pick the New Orleans Pelicans take, along with the 2029 and 2031 picks).

The Lakers will be gutting their depth as well, as three of D'Angelo Russell (if he picks up his player option), Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt will have to go to the Hawks in return. Among those players, the Hawks will be asking for Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura at the minimum — at that point, will the Lakers have enough talent around their supporting cast if they do end up trading for Young?

There are also plenty of question marks regarding Young's defense. It's fair to wonder how much Young's limitations on that end of the floor cap his teams' ceiling. He needs the right kind of personnel around him to thrive (see the Hawks' roster in 2021), but given how much it would take to bring him to LA, he might not have the defenders around him that could compensate enough to the point that they become legitimate title contenders nonetheless.

And then there's the question of LeBron James' future. It's difficult to envision the Lakers being much of a contender when James hangs up his sneakers. Trae Young will make them better next season, but will a core of Young and Anthony Davis be enough to compete in an unforgiving Western Conference moving forward?

It has become evident that the Lakers cannot stand pat. Their competitiveness against the Nuggets lends credence to the idea that they could be one piece away from making the jump to the first tier of title contenders. But the franchise has to look at the bigger picture. Will they mortgage the future to give James a chance to end his career on the highest note possible, or will they play it safe?