Bold prediction suggests Trae Young won’t end up with the Lakers

The first big day of the offseason for the Atlanta Hawks is tomorrow, with the NBA Draft Lottery 2024. Atlanta will find out tomorrow where he will be drafted in June and entering the lottery tomorrow, the Hawks have 13.9% chance of making the top four and 3% chance of landing the No. 1 pick. While this may be the first big day of the offseason for Atlanta, it certainly won’t be the last.

Atlanta is going to have a decision to make regarding the backcourt duo of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young and the likelihood of one of them being traded seems high. The Hawks do not have their own draft picks for the next few seasons after 2024 and could not begin a complete rebuild without all of their picks, meaning they will likely have to decide on a point guard to build on for the future . Will it be Dejounte Murray or Trae Young?

Before delving into this, it’s worth noting that the Hawks did not make Young available for trade and Young did not request to be traded. This is just speculation and I still think Young will stay in Atlanta once all is said and done this summer. It appears Atlanta is headed toward breaking up its backcourt consisting of Young and Dejounte Murray, but that could mean Murray is the one who gets traded. Atlanta was shopping Murray this season until the trade deadline.

The team that has been most associated with trading for Young is the Los Angeles Lakers. After another playoff exit and the firing of head coach Darvin Ham, the Lakers head into the offseason hoping to land a third star to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and Young made the subject of numerous commercial negotiations.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey made a bold prediction that Young wouldn’t end up in Los Angeles after all and that the Lakers would go in a different direction.

“Trae Young’s arrival to the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the loudest and most persistent rumors in the NBA in months.

The logic is quite simple. Young is a star. He hasn’t meshed well with Dejounte Murray over the past two seasons. The Lakers went out in the first round and they always loved going star hunting.

There is certainly a world in which Young in LA would work. He is one of the most dynamic offensive engines and ball handlers in the game. He and Anthony Davis could form a powerful duo that could potentially thrive beyond LeBron James’ eventual retirement.

But the Lakers just got bullied by the bigger Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. The Nuggets are now harassed by the even bigger Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. It’s hard to look at these playoffs and think that the answer to Los Angeles’ problems is to get smaller and more offensive.

The Lakers front office has made a number of revolutionary moves since Rob Pelinka took over, but he’s probably noticed the trend as well.

LA already has plenty of offense and shot creation from LeBron, AD and Austin Reaves. He was fourth in the NBA in points per 100 possessions after the All-Star break.

What he needs is a perimeter defense and some big bruisers who can spare Davis some of the punishment that comes from playing center.

On ESPN’s Get Up, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst discussed Young as a trade target for the Lakers this offseason:

“There are opportunities for them, not necessarily in free agency, but via trade. They will have up to three first-round picks that they can trade, starting on draft night, including the first-round pick round this year if they want to and if they have some pieces on their roster that they can use in trade Now which player would it be Well we’ll have to see what that is. will happen with the star players at the end of the season across the league It’s Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks The Hawks could look to break up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray. Dejounte Murray during this season I’m not sure he solves much of the Lakers’ problems, perimeter defense was a problem for the Lakers this season and in this series it’s something Trae won’t do. not do to help you, but he’s definitely a guy who will energize your offense and he would potentially look amazing next to LeBron and AD, but there are other options and things that will develop over the course of the years. next two months.

One thing to note is that Young left Klutch Sports and is now represented by CAA Sports. Does this mean he won’t be with the Lakers? Not necessarily, but it’s remarkable.

I’ve said since the offseason that the Lakers trade packages they could offer weren’t enough for a player of Young’s caliber. Austin Reaves and a set of first-round picks that won’t be passed on for a few years shouldn’t please the Hawks, but that doesn’t mean a trade won’t happen.

Still, there will be countless rumors regarding Young to the Lakers until something happens.