Insider: Lakers Targeting One of 3 Superstars In Trade This Offseason

 

The Los Angeles Lakers were shut out at the trade deadline. No moves made. And while LeBron James (and Lakers Nation) might not be happy about that, things could change in the offseason.

According to team insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are targeting a trade with one of three superstars this summer:

REPORT: The Lakers are targeting Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young or Kyrie Irving this offseason with a package that could include THREE 1st-round picks.

(via @jovanbuha) pic.twitter.com/aq33e4Jnm5

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 9, 2024

Buha says the Lakers have Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving on their radar, and can include three first-round picks in an offer for any one of them.  

Moving forward, the Lakers plan to use the three picks that they will have available this summer — 2031, 2029 and either 2024 or 2025, depending on which pick the New Orleans Pelicans choose to receive as part of their return for 2019’s Anthony Davis trade — to pursue a star via trade. Three potential targets are Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving, according to team and league sources.

The Lakers have been tied to two of those on plenty of occasions recently. They pursued Irving at last season's trade deadline, and in the summer, hoping to pair him once again with LeBron, before he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks from Brooklyn at last year's deadline and re-signed with them in the offseason.

The Young talk is a bit more recent, after it's become clear that the Atlanta Hawks are willing to move on from the mercurial and diminutive point guard. 

As for Mitchell, there's been plenty of talk about his future, as he has one year left on his deal (plus a player option) with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it's tough to find anyone around the sport who believes that he'll re-up in The Land. This could be the summer that Cleveland decides to get a haul for Spida.

Buha notes that if the Lakers decide to put Austin Reaves in an offer with those three firsts, that could get the likes of Dallas, Cleveland or Atlanta to listen. 

Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports