Not even a day after the Los Angeles Lakers saw their 2022-23 season come to an end, the discussion has already shifted to potentially seismic changes for next season. Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has reportedly been a topic of discussion amongst the Laker brain trust as the team continues to find a permanent solution at point guard via trade or free agency.
With Young watching courtside during a Lakers postseason game more than once just like fellow rumored target Kyrie Irving, it's added fuel to the fire for a potential move. Add to that the fact that Rich Paul, LeBron James' right-hand man, is his agent and you can put the pieces together, as reported by The Athletic's Jovan Buha:
For what it’s worth, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young, two All-Star-level point guards, were both sitting courtside in Los Angeles for the second time this postseason. Young, like James and Davis, is a Klutch client. The Lakers have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Assuming the Lakers can come up with a trade offer that allows Trae Young to trot over to Tinsel Town, would it even be a good idea at all? It's the sort of splashy deal that would garner headlines and thrust the Lakers back into the title conversation. But It could very well turn into a Russell Westbrook redux with the trade working better in theory than in practice.
Here are three (3) reasons why a potential Trae Young to the Lakers trade could turn into a huge disaster in LA.
The defense
The Lakers turned themselves into a stalwart defensive team during the second half of the season. They finished 12th for the year in defensive rating but were a top-four team following the All-Star break. It's the backbone of how they turned their season around and a huge reason why they were able to advance all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
Plugging in Trae Young into the defensive schemes that Darvin Ham has helped drawn up introduces a very weak link into the chain other teams can easily exploit. Young is in the bottom 1 percentile for wingspan in the entire NBA, which is arguably even more important than raw height when it comes to playing defense.
He may find some success during the regular season like he's been able to en route to two All-Star nods. But teams are going to exploit him on switches come playoff time which offsets a huge chunk of his contributions on offense.
Yes, he was able to lead the Hawks to the conference finals two years ago. But the Sixers didn't really have a perimeter playmaker (*cough* Ben Simmons *cough*) capable of abusing Trae Young like Jamal Murray or Steph Curry could have.
The contract
Trae Young is under contract for the next four seasons for an average annual salary of $44.5 million. He's one of the highest-paid players in the NBA and will continue to be that for the entire duration of his deal.
The Lakers have constructed their supporting cast around LeBron James and Anthony Davis with utmost flexibility, with next to no fully guaranteed contracts extending beyond this season save for Max Christie's second year deal worth under $2 million.
Adding Young onto the roster next to LeBron and AD puts them immediately approaching $150 million in salary on three players alone. They'll largely have to fill the rest of the roster with throwaway pieces just like how it seemed when they first acquire Russell Westbrook. With LA's depth and versatility playing a huge role in their surprising run this season, reverting back to a top-heavy rotation could get ugly with little room to maneuver.
The ego
Trae Young could be a very good dude. By most accounts, he's an inspiring human being and a true underdog story that made his NBA dreams come true.
That being said, there have been a ton of reports of friction throughout his tenure with the Hawks. He's gotten cozy with ownership and has been rumored to have a little bit too much sway within the organization. It's led to less than savory rumors about how Young carries himself as the franchise player.
Obviously, he'll know his place on a team that has LeBron James. But if things go sour – and they could given reasons 1 and 2 – it remains to be seen how amicable Trae Young will be in a losing situation alongside an aging LeBron and an oft-injured AD. An already gutted Lakers team could find themselves in even more trouble if that happens.
There's a world where it all works out and Trae Young is the superstar the Lakers needed to win next season and bridge the next era post-LeBron James. But it's an awfully big risk to take.
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