The Los Angeles Lakers have long been a pundit favorite to trade for three-time All-Star point guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, though that appears to have changed.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton co-hosted the July 15 version of “The Lowe Post” podcast, during which they discussed what it would take for Los Angeles to procure Young — who is playing on a five-year, $215.2 million max contract — from Atlanta and whether that prospect currently interests the Lakers brass.
“If the Lakers were going to offer all of their picks including now Dalton Knecht, and some other good stuff, Trae Young could be on the Lakers right now,” Lowe said. “Those deals haven’t happened. I’ve heard teams have cooled off on him, and here we are.
Los Angeles can trade unprotected first-rounders in both 2029 and 2031 along with Knecht, who the franchise picked with the No. 17 overall selection in the 2024 NBA draft. Young will earn north of $43 million next season, so D’Angelo Russell and the nearly $19 million remaining on his contract would probably have to be part of the deal as salary filler.
However, some of the other “good stuff” to which Lowe refers could be young talent like Max Christie, who the Lakers inked to a four-year extension worth $32 million this offseason
