Grade the Trade: Lakers land final championship piece in bold three-team proposal

Grading the trade for the Los Angeles Lakers

Any deal that involves an All-Star talent is going to hurt for the Los Angeles Lakers. I can't imagine there's any deal that involves the Lakers not giving up big parts of their future while also getting a potential final piece of the championship puzzle. Being willing to swap Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, one future first-round pick, and two second-round picks for Trae Young should be worth it on paper.

Whether the Lakers could turn around and translate pure talent to on-the-court success remains to be seen. But, in theory, Young would be an excellent point guard alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

In the end, losing Reaves, Vanderbilt, and Vincent will certainly hurt the team's overall depth heading into next season. But with a core of Young, LeBron, and AD, the Lakers will finally have the top-level talent to compete with any other team in the NBA. And I can't remember the last time we said that about Los Angeles. This is a far from ideal deal, but it's certainly one that could get them back to contender status in the Western Conference.

Grade: A