The Los Angeles Lakers have long been considered a potential destination for Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, but the chances of the Lakers landing him may have just gotten slimmer.
Earlier this month, Young switched representation, leaving Klutch Sports in favor of CAA. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are two of the most famous clients of Klutch Sports, so Young's departure is not exactly great news for Los Angeles, Jovan Buha of The Athletic notes.
The Lakers tried to swing a trade for Young back at the trade deadline, but to no avail.
Young is under Hawks team control through 2026 and has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign, so Atlanta doesn't have to be in any rush to move him. However, Young would obviously hold more value if he were traded now with multiple years left on his deal.
The 25-year-old is coming off of a 2023-24 season in which he played 54 games and averaged 25.7 points, 10.8 assists and 1.3 steals over 36 minutes per game. He shot 43 percent from the floor, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line.
If not Trae Young, then who for the Lakers?
If the Lakers want to seriously contend next season, they need to make some sort of significant move. They can't expect to just run it back with the same group of guys and make a deep run, nor can they expect to add a couple of minor pieces and expect it to make a big difference.
No, Los Angeles needs to do something big, and Young would certainly represent a major move for the club.
But if the Lakers can't land Young, then who else can they pursue?
Cleveland Cavaliers guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland could be options, Buha notes.
There have been rumors that the Cavaliers may look to split up the Mitchell-Garland pair this offseason. Obviously, Mitchell is the more highly regarded of the two, but he only has one year remaining on his deal. Garland, on the other hand, is under contract through 2028 with no options.
You can bet that if and when Cleveland decides to gauge trade interest in its two high-octane scorers that the Lakers will be inquiring. However, as Buha says, there are plenty of other teams that would probably be able to outbid LA in trade discussions.
Mitchell registered 26.6 points per game on 46.2/36.8/86.5 shooting splits this season. Meanwhile, Garland logged 18 points per game while making 44.6 percent of his shots, 37.1 percent of his long-distance tries and 83.4 percent of his free throws as the No. 2 option.
Of course, the Lakers also have to worry about re-signing James, who seems likely to decline his player option and test free agency this summer. James is expected to remain in Los Angeles regardless, but the point is that LA currently has bigger worries than just trying to swing a trade for a third star.
The Lakers are also not expected to have much cap space to sign big-name free agents, so any star players the team tries to add would likely have to be via trade.
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