It was an unsatisfactory end to a disappointing season for the Atlanta Hawks. The team was defeated by the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament, marking the end of their season. The Hawks seemed promising at the beginning of the year with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, but unfortunately, the two guards didn't mesh well.
There has been a lot of talk about trading Murray and Young, and the Los Angeles Lakers have been connected to both. However, it seems like Young is the player the Lakers are more interested in. With the Hawks missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, it might be time for significant changes. According to Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd, Young is likely to move to Los Angeles.
“Atlanta and Chicago played, but the winner was the Lakers,” Cowherd said on the April 18 episode of “The Herd.” Trae Young, my guess, is coming to LA. So they’re gonna add Trae Young, Atlanta is gonna go with Dejounte Murray and it’s very clear.”
The Hawks' current approach clearly isn't effective, and Young is their most valuable trade asset. Since they recently traded for Murray, they may be more inclined to build around him rather than Young, who has been with the team since 2018.
Los Angeles Lakers to Have ‘Serious Interest’ in Trae Young
This isn’t the first time the Lakers have been linked to Trae Young. There has been speculation about him joining the team for years due to his ties to Klutch Sports. According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the Lakers’ interest in Young is real.
“If the Hawks decide Young is the guard to move, the Lakers are believed to be one of the teams with serious interest,” Pincus wrote in an April 15 column. “Whether he’s the right fit is debatable (he doesn’t play well off the ball, and LeBron James usually has it in his hands to end games), but the Lakers have been known to chase players that may or may not fit (Russell Westbrook).”
The Lakers will have to give up some key players if they want to land Young. It’s likely the team will lose Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura in the trade. They’d also have to give up several draft picks. The Lakers would be relying on LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Young being good enough to win a championship.
Does Trae Young Get Los Angeles Lakers Over the Hump?
One thing that’s interesting about a potential trade for Trae Young is that it finally gives the Lakers a young star to pair with Anthony Davis after LeBron James retires. A duo of Young and Davis should keep the team competitive for several seasons.
However, is adding Young to the current team enough to win a championship? The Lakers would be giving up flexibility and depth if they’re going to have three players on max contracts. The team already tried that with Russell Westbrook, which was a disaster. Young is a completely different player than Westbrook and is a much better fit with James and Davis but he’s a small guard who doesn’t play much defense. If the trio of James, Davis and Young could stay healthy, that could be a team that gets hot and wins a championship but it’s not a guarantee.
