“‘Mice Trae’… Bad combination”: Skip Bayless isn’t a fan of ‘little’ Trae Young playing for Lakers, compares it to Russell Westbrook situation
The LA Lakers is the unprecedented home of superstars, and Trae Young is on their radar. The three-time All-Star's tenure with the Atlanta Hawks hasn't gone according to plan. The franchise has had three coaches and one conference finals appearance with Young.
The Lakers are reportedly keeping an eye on his situation. However, veteran TV analyst Skip Bayless isn't a fan of that move. He suggested that Young's potential move to the Lakers will be similar to the Russell Westbrook saga.
"I would not want him [Trae Young] on my basketball team," said Bayless on 'Undisputed.' "He might be six feet tall on a good day. They call him 'Ice Trae,' and I call him 'Mice Trae' because he's so little, and he gets upset with me."
Bayless pointed out why he thinks the rumored move is equivalent to the Westbrook signing:
"33.5% (3-point shooting), it's horrible. Since he came into the league, he's shot the eight most 3s ... Leads the whole league in turnovers. It's a bad combination. It's like Westbrook. Since he [Young] came into the league, he's been a liability on defense.
Skip Bayless admitted Trae Young is one of the best passers. However, he highlighted that the Lakers already have elite distributors like LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
The controversial TV presenter has made some absurd claims in the past, but this opinion could be deemed spot-on. Looking at the Lakers roster, Young doesn't move the needle much, especially if he can't adapt to a more off-the-ball role.
Westbrook struggled with that aspect. That resulted in the team's overall struggles. LA never posted a winning record during Westbrook's tenure that ended with 56-74 record.
Trae Young is a decent option for the future for LA Lakers
As long as the LA Lakers still have LeBron James on the team, acquiring a ball-dominant star doesn't make much sense. Trae Young is one of those players. He's an elite scorer and passer, but that comes as a by-product of his high usage rate.
His 3-point shooting percentages have been up and down, but Young still commands respect from the opposing team when he's looking to attempt shots from deep. The Lakers should pursue him, but only after James decides to hang his sneakers or move to another team.
Young could form a solid one-two punch with Anthony Davis, who recently signed a three-year extension, keeping him in LA until at least 2026-27. Davis' final year of his next contract is a player option in 2027-28.
Russell Westbrook was playing at an All-Star caliber level before joining the Lakers, and most of his struggles came from his inability to accept a lesser role. The Lakers have experienced that situation. So it makes sense for them to reflect on that and pursue Young as their next big star once LeBron leaves rather than sign him as the third star.