The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the middle of a playoff run, but a new report suggests they have big plans ahead. The Lakers managed to reshuffle their roster mid-season and make the playoffs despite a 2-11 start; Now they go toe-to-toe with the second seed Memphis Grizzlies.
Even then, their roster upgrades may not be enough to move them to the NBA Finals, likely leading to more changes in the off-season. One potential change could be that they are targeting All-Star Trae Young if he is not transferred to another team this summer. This may sound far-fetched, but according to Sean DeVene, it is a possibility.
The Lakers have ties to Trae Young, but his odds of landing him seem low.
However, the new collective bargaining agreement, passed less than a month ago, may throw a dent in those plans before they can be put into practice. The new CBA seems specifically designed to prevent teams like the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Golden State Warriors from continuing to spend the way they have without consequence.
In fact, had the deal been in effect earlier, the Lakers would not have been able to pull off the Russell Westbrook deal that saw them acquire D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.
They were able to because they agreed to trade their first-round picks for 2027 and 2029, but under the luxury tax, teams are now barred from fielding first-round winners after six years. Unless the Lakers are willing to trade Anthony Davis, they probably won’t be able to land Young without tradeable picks. Strange things have happened though. Oklahoma City took Paul George without giving up any picks, and later turned him over for a five-and-out with Shay Gilgos Alexander.
Who’s to say the Lakers can’t pull off a similar deal? Technically Atlanta Hawks. It should be noted at least that they seem open to considering a Young transfer, and if he had any say, he might choose the Lakers for all the obvious reasons. Chief among them being that he is Klutch’s client and the Lakers have become a haven for other players represented by the same agency.
The inner youth is sure to pressure the hawks to get them to trade him. Also, he can scare off potential suitors by making it clear that he’ll bolt to Los Angeles the first chance he gets.
All in all, while the odds of Young getting to LA may be low, the Lakers have a long history of figuring out ways to land disaffected stars from other teams. Maybe, just maybe, they figure out a way to do it again.