Trae Young leaving Rich Paul for CAA dampens chances of landing with Lakers: Report
Trae Young has been linked with a move to the LA Lakers for the last three years or so. The star point guard's stint with the Atlanta Hawks was off to a good start, but the player's game hasn't been the same after leading the squad to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha broke down the type of players the team could pursue this offseason. While Young was mentioned as a potential target for the 17-time NBA champions, that possibility is reportedly unlikely after Young stopped working with Klutch Sports.
In the wake of the D'Angelo Russell news, Buha explained that the Lakers could create a package with Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to try to land a third star.
"That gets you in a conversation for a bunch of different types of players, so it might not be the third star that fans wanted. Donovan Mitchell has not yet signed his extension but the reporting has indicated that is likely to happen.
"Trae Young, as I've previously reported, is less likely to end up with the Lakers in part due to his switch from Klutch Sports to CAA," Buha said Friday night.
"And looking at the rest of the market, there's not a clear third start out there, but putting that aside, there are several players that are potentially available that could help the Lakers and looking at the names that I've previously mentioned, I look at a Jeremy Grant or a Kyle Kuzma or maybe in Brooklyn, a Dorian Finney Smith or a Cam Johnson," he added.
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Trae Young has been linked with a trade away from the Hawks
With the Lakers looming for several years, Trae Young was considered a potential trade chip for the Hawks. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs sounded like strong candidates to land the veteran guard to team him up with Victor Wembanyama.
The Hawks were also considered sweepstakes to land Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans, but after making a move for Dejounte Murray, the Young trade may be unlikely to happen now.
Young and the Hawks had a good start to their partnership, but now things are complicated. Atlanta is trying to be competitive again and the front office has made some intriguing moves this offseason.
Besides adding Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels in the Murray trade, they also drafted the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. The future could be bright for the Hawks, but next season appears crucial for Trae Young's future.