Even before their unceremonious playoff exit, the Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be on the prowl this offseason. Clearly needing to make life easier for 39-year-old gigastar LeBron James, the Lakers have been linked to Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young for several months. L.A. is rumored to have an interest Young’s backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, as well.
However, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, several teams —the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Oklahoma City Thunder —may hinder their pursuit of a blockbuster trade. O’Connor notes that the Thunder simply have a hoard of assets that would allow them to land a star. Meanwhile, the Jazz and Pelicans are expected to aggressively pursue trades this offseason.
His report aligns with the message from the Jazz’s Justin Zanik and Danny Ainge. Both have said they want to take the next step forward in their rebuild.
“League sources expect the Jazz and Pelicans to be aggressive in pursuing trades this summer with their mountains of picks. And the Thunder have more assets than anyone else, giving them the ability to trump just about any offer for any player.”
That said, it’s hard to imagine either Utah or New Orleans being head over heels about Young.
3 West Teams Could Stop Lakers’ Blockbuster Trade
Young is an elite offensive playmaker. However, his diminutive presence on the defensive end is a poor fit next to Keyonte George or CJ McCollum.
In the Pelicans’ case, they could always look to move McCollum rather than Brandon Ingram. Yet, they’re likely not chomping at the bit to make that move. McCollum has underperformed in the playoffs, primarily due to poor shot-selection. Young has a much better playoff reputation. However, he’s shot just 40.2 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from 3 in the postseason.
With regard to OKC, his high usage style is a questionable fit alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
As far as Murray?
Both the Jazz and Pelicans could look to add the tough-minded hybrid guard. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, it’s a lot easier to picture him beside George or McCollum in the backcourt. With Murray’s goal to get stronger in the offseason, he should be able to improve upon his weakness of getting through screens.
Yet, the Hawks seem to prefer keeping Murray over Young themselves. Fortunately for Atlanta, Murray isn’t the best fit alongside Gilgeous-Alexander or Williams either.
Shopping in Milwaukee?
Damian Lillard
The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard last year in an effort to quell Giannis Antetokounmpo’s concerns about remaining in championship contention. However, Lillard’s fit has been so clunky that he could be on the move again this offseason. He’s to angle for a trade to the Miami Heat if so. However, the California native could also shortlist the Lakers as a potential destination. That said, neither the Jazz, Pelicans, nor Thunder are likely to be overly interested in Lillard for the same reasons that they wouldn’t go all-in for Young.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
With Antetokounmpo linked to L.A last summer, one has to wonder if he’ll be a Lakers trade target this offseason.
In his own words, he hasn’t been happy this season, frustrated by the constant change. Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, he could be in for more in Milwaukee, especially if general manager Jon Horst leaves for Detroit. For their part, the Bucks more than likely want to hold onto Antetokounmpo but they may relent depending on the package. Though Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant two-way playmakers in league history, his injury history in the playoffs may have removed his ‘untouchable’ tag.
With that said, Antetokounmpo is one player that L.A., Utah, New Orleans, Oklahoma City —and a slew of other suitors —would go all-out to acquir
