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The Los Angeles Lakers had long been rumored to be interested in trading for Atlanta Hawks’ three-time All-Star point guard Trae Young, but that appears to have changed. ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton co-hosted the July 15 version of “The Lowe Post” podcast, during which they discussed what it would take for Los Angeles to procure Young from Atlanta, who is playing on a five-year, $215.2 million max contract, and whether that prospect currently interests the Lakers brass.
“If the Lakers were going to offer all of their picks including now Dalton Knecht, and some other good stuff, Trae Young could be on the Lakers right now,” Lowe said. “Those deals haven’t happened. I’ve heard teams have cooled off on him, and here we are.”
Action at the 2024 NBA Draft. Young will earn more than $43 million next season, thus D’Angelo Russell and the approximately $19 million remaining on his contract would most likely be included as salary filler. However, some of the other “good stuff” to which Lowe refers could be young talent such as Max Christie, whom the Lakers signed a four-year, $32 million contract extension this offseason.
That the Lakers and other franchises around the league have chilled in their respective pursuits of Young doesn’t mean things can’t heat up again.
Since his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers over 15 years ago, LeBron James has effectively persuaded organizations to forego young talent and draft resources in order to acquire win-now stars. James approaches 40 in December and has been carrying the offensive load for the Lakers since his arrival there six seasons ago.
Last season, James had a usage rate of 29.1%, which ranked 18th in the league, while navigating the majority of the campaign (his 21st as a professional) at the age of 39, making him the oldest player in the NBA. Despite that offensive burden, the four-time MVP was still able to play in 71 games for the Lakers, though it is difficult to imagine that combination of usage and health being sustainable for any extended period given the tread already on James’ proverbial tires.
James played 56 or less games in four of his previous five seasons, though the COVID-19 virus and its ramifications cut two of them short.
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