Draft day 2024 in the NBA, or at least the first day of the draft, is finally here, and it could be a pivotal day for the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be able to offer up to three first-round draft picks in a potential trade in order to try to land a star or borderline star player.
Several possible targets have been mentioned, and one of the biggest names mentioned has been Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. He has made the All-Star team three times in his six seasons and has career averages of 25.5 points and 9.5 assists a game.
That would make it seem on the surface that Young, who is only 25 years of age, would be an ideal third star to place alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those numbers would make it seem like he could also take Los Angeles into the post-James era and ensure a smoother transition toward whatever would come next.
But a slightly closer look tells a different story.
Yes, Young is a legitimate scoring threat who drops dimes as regularly as a leaking Coinstar machine. Yes, he’s a pretty good 3-point shooter, at least for stretches. But overall, he shoots a low percentage from the field, has questionable shot selection, is a questionable decision-maker, turns the ball over a lot and is viewed as a defensive liability.
Sound familiar?
In 2021, the Lakers failed to defend their NBA championship and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Thus, they looked to reload in a big way. They had interest in veteran playmaking wing DeMar DeRozan and sharpshooter Buddy Hield, but they swung a trade for Russell Westbrook instead.
For whatever reason, Westbrook failed to fit in. He had some good moments, but his shot selection and decision-making drew the ire of Lakers fans, as did his defensive deficiencies and poor outside shooting. He also couldn’t find a way to be productive without the basketball.
He quickly became a scapegoat for all that went wrong for the Lakers during the 2021-22 season. Some of it was hyperbolic, but everyone quickly realized that trading for him was a big mistake.
Even worse, the Lakers gave up a lot in that trade to get Westbrook — they jettisoned guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and forward Kyle Kuzma, two key contributors on their 2020 title-winning team. They also parted ways with forward Montrezl Harrell, the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year, as well as guard Isaiah Jackson, whom they took with the No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft.
Many have felt that in doing so, L.A. essentially dismantled a championship team and wasted perfectly good assets. The entire city seemed to rejoice when Westbrook, an L.A.-area native, was finally dealt last February for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. After that deal, the team instantly went from mediocrity to a Western Conference finals appearance.
Young will make $43 million next season (Westbrook made $44.2 million during the 2021-22 campaign), so acquiring him would be extremely expensive for the Purple and Gold, just as acquiring Westbrook was. The team would have to give up multiple good and useful players, as well as plenty of draft capital, and perhaps they would end up giving up more than they did to get Westbrook in 2021.
It would take them all that to get a player who has shot just 43.6% from the field and averaged 4.2 turnovers a game for his career. Oh, and the Hawks’ defensive rating was 3.8 points better without Young than it was with him this season.
If the Lakers end up trading for Young, it would likely torpedo whatever may be remaining of the James era in L.A. It would also handicap their efforts to rebuild and retool once he leaves.
Memo to the Lakers: Don’t do it. Please, just don’t do it.
