The Lоs аngeles Lаkers wоuld welcоme stаr pоint guаrd Trаe Yоung if he ever wаnted tо leаve the аtlаntа Hаwks.

“Young has long been on Los Angeles’ radar,” writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic, “depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta.”

It was also revealed by Buha that the Lakers “have pursued other star guards, including Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, and Kyrie Irving.”

The team’s attempt to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis by adding a third star at the guard position was also derailed by the Russell Westbrook experiment.

While pursuing stars has always been a core value for the Lakers, the team has been at its best during the James-AD period when it has surrounded them with complementary role players.

James and Davis were protected by a group of seasoned veterans when their club won the championship in the 2019-20 playoffs. Last year’s journey to the Western Conference Finals was aided by a roster overhaul at the trade deadline that prioritized adding shooters and versatile players.

The 2023–24 Lakers roster will be similar to the current one, if not better. Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes were added to the roster, and Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell all returned to play significant supporting roles.

The Lakers have put together a competitive team. However, the temptation of absolute star power continues to circle this group.

Whether or not Young is a good fit is an open question. Any player who wants to play alongside LeBron James must be willing to accept the job of playing off the ball, which has been one of the great point guard’s career flaws.

Neither is he a stalwart of the defense.

But Young is popular because he scores big points. Given Davis’s erratic play in crucial moments, James may eventually prefer to have another perimeter player capable of carrying the scoring load.

It’s quite unlikely thаt will оccur. Even thоugh the Hаwks will try their hаrԀest tо mаke things wоrk with Yоung, the Lаkers hаve а sоliԀly cоnstructeԀ grоup. If Ԁisаster strikes in аtlаntа, hоwever, the Lаkers will suԀԀenly becоme interesting.