Detail Of Lakers’ Plan For Adding Trae Young This Summer

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will almost certainly not be able to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a title this year.

It isn’t just fans who believe this, mind you. Multiple reports indicate that the Lakers’ front office has also quit on this year already.

They think it is a lost cause.

So where does Los Angeles go from here?

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers have a plan in place to a third star this summer.

“Yes, they are,” Buha said of L.A. wanting to add another star alongside James and Davis “And I can confirm that from multiple sources. They are going third-star hunting this offseason.

“And we’ll see how that affects the D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) situation. We’ll see how—you probably have to give up Austin [Reaves] in almost any…third-star trade.

So who will that third star be? Most likely, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

“… Now, who’s available? The one name I continually hear is Trae Young,” Buha continued.

“He’s been to Laker playoff games before. He’s a Klutch Sports client. That’s probably the most realistic one right now. What happens with [the Dallas Mavericks] and Kyrie [Irving]? Do they flame out? Do they lose in the play-in? Do they lose in round one? Does Dallas ultimately break that up? And then what’s the market for Kyrie?”

Los Angeles has previously expressed interest in Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, too. That said, Buha doesn’t view the Lakers as favorites to claim him.

“Donovan Mitchell, it seems like there’s been a little bit more growing optimism and buzz that he’s gonna stay in Cleveland. But even if he leaves, the two New York teams have reportedly been the favorites just because he’s from the greater New York area,” he said.

The Lakers have been linked to Young for years.

Will this summer mark the offseason where they finally pry Young away from the Hawks? Time will tell.