The Los Angeles Lakers have a history of being mesmerized by star players, and while they have struck out on several such players in recent years, they have, by and large, been pretty successful in landing them throughout their history.
Although they have a roster that looks to be championship-caliber, it hasn’t stopped them from having interest in adding a third star again.
Of course, they traded for Russell Westbrook two years ago, a deal that turned out to be a failure. Earlier this offseason, they reportedly had interest in Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young before deciding to stay the course and retain their core from late last season.
But according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Young has been on L.A.’s radar for a while, and he suggested the star guard could remain on its radar (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Athletic:
“Trae Young has long been on Los Angeles’ radar, depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta,” Buha wrote.
The Atlanta Hawks guard may not be the best candidate for the Lakers if they decide to reload. While he averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists a game this past season, he shot only 42.9% overall and 33.5% from 3-point range.
Given that he is an inefficient, high-volume 3-point shooter who doesn’t play a ton of defense and is listed at just 6-foot-1 and 164 pounds, perhaps the Lakers have no reason to be interested in acquiring him.