Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Adding Trae Young would be a mistake for the Lakers

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 3/31/24

The Los Angeles Lakers could be interested in acquiring Trae Young during the offseason. The Athletic's Jovan Buha discussed the franchise's interest during a recent livestream.

"They are going third star hunting this offseason and we’ll see how that affects the [D'Angelo Russell] situation," Buha said. "You probably have to give up Austin [Reaves] in almost any third-star trade. Now who’s available? The one name I continually hear is Trae Young. He’s been to Laker playoff games before, he’s a Clutch Sports client. That’s probably the most realistic one right now. ... Whether they get him is going to come down to whether they are willing to put all three picks, two picks in a deal. Is it [Reaves] and Max [Christie]? Is it just [Reaves]?"

The Hawks are reportedly open to potentially trading Young. According to reports, they could choose to move forward with Dejounte Murray as their lead guard. Should the Hawks decide now is the time to cash in on their star guard, the Lakers would undoubtedly be a willing trade partner.

Adding Young would give the Lakers the marquee name the front office seeks. However, it would be a mistake.

You only need to look at Russell Westbrook's tenure with the franchise to understand why. Like Westbrook, Young is a ball-dominant guard who thrives as a primary playmaker. He is also a questionable defensive talent.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both high-usage players. D'Angelo Russell has been successful this season because he's learned to be effective as a tertiary star. Young has never been in that situation. There's no evidence that he could thrive in a predominantly off-ball role or that he would be willing to sacrifice a significant amount of touches.

There's no denying that Young is an All-Star talent and one of the most exciting guards in the NBA. However, he isn't the star the Lakers need, not right now, at least not while they're trying to maximize LeBron's final years.

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