The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly had their eyes on one of the NBA’s top point guards for quite some time.
Los Angeles is coming off a surprising trip to the Western Conference Finals as a No. 7 seed, but LeBron James and company were swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Clearly, the Purple and Gold could use a third star to complement James and Anthony Davis.
According to a report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers have had Atlanta Hawks’ star guard Trae Young on their “radar” for a while:
“The Lakers have pursued other star guards, including Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry and Kyrie Irving. Even into this summer, there were some in the organization, including James, who still had an interest in pursuing Irving, though the front office ultimately prioritized continuity. Trae Young has long been on Los Angeles’ radar, depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta.”
The No. 5 selection of the 2018 NBA Draft has been practically everything Atlanta could have hoped for. Young has led the team to three straight playoff appearances, going as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. There, they were dispatched by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
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Last season, Young averaged 26.2 points, 10.2 assists and three rebounds per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Hawks qualified for the postseason but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in round one.
If the Lakers found a way to add Young, it would greatly bolster their chances of winning another championship with Davis and James. But for now, it looks like Young will at least begin his sixth season with the Hawks.
