The Atlanta Hawks winning the NBA Draft lottery provided much-needed support to the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer trade plan to acquire three-time All-Star point guard Trae Young.
Dejounte Murray was in trade talks with the Hawks. At the May 12 draft lottery, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted, “I believe the chances of trade negotiations with Trae Young this spring and into the summer are also very real.”
Young might become available before the Hawks receive their first-round pick on June 26, so Stephen Noh of Sporting News proposed a trade that could land the Lakers their third star. However, at the expense of native talent Austin Reaves, who is a fan favorite,.
Noh’s Request for Trade:
The Lakers obtain Trae Young.
The Hawks obtain a 2029 first-round pick, a 2031 first-round pick, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and this year’s No. 17 pick.
In any deal, the Lakers would have to match Young’s $43.0 million salary. Financially, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent would complete the transfer. They might also include all of their expected first-round picks.
Young considers this a steep price to pay. It would be especially detrimental to include Reaves. The Lakers may try to replace him with Jarred Vanderbilt, but Noh believes they may lose that offer.
In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Lakers were hesitant to include Reaves in their Dejounte Murray negotiations.
In the event of a bidding war between the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, who are led by Victor Wembanyama and are exploring a combination with Young, Noh pointed out that the Lakers also have five second-round picks at their disposal, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
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