Grading a proposed trade that would have the Los Angeles Lakers adding the final piece of their championship puzzle in a blockbuster three-team deal.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers managed to momentarily avoid elimination by beating the Denver Nuggets in Game 4, this is a team that will be pivoting toward the offseason very soon. With all due respect to LeBron James and the Lakers, they're not going to be the first team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA Playoffs. They may have avoided the inevitable for the moment, but there's still a wide gap between the Lakers and the defending champs.
That's why heading into the offseason, the Lakers will be tasked with trying to find the final piece of their championship puzzle. An All-Star piece is what many believe could be that final piece for the Lakers. One potential option that could arise for Los Angeles this summer is Trae Young.
Why Trae Young could be bound for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer
Looking at the possibility of a trade market that could develop for Young this offseason, it may not be that outlandish to consider the Lakers as the heavy favorites to land the All-Star guard. Of the teams that Young "makes sense" for, the Lakers may be the one that has the most interest. The San Antonio Spurs are already a team that has essentially been crossed out as a potential landing spot and while there will be other suitors, the Lakers would likely be at the front of the line.
If that does end up being the case this summer, how could a Young to Lakers trade develop? What would it look like? In this proposed three-team blockbuster deal, Young would find his way to the Lakers while the Hawks would jump-start their retooling or rebuild. Let's grade this proposed deal for all parties involved.
The blockbuster three-team trade
Before we begin to grade the trade for each side, let's take an objective look at this trade. The Orlando Magic would have to be brought in to make this three-team deal more likely to be completed. In this deal, the Los Angeles Lakers would send out Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and two second-round picks to the Magic. Orlando would then send out Cole Anthony, Jett Howard, and a future first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta would send out Young to the Lakers.
Why would Orlando want to be involved in this deal? It's simple. After a good showing in the NBA Playoffs, the Magic would want to take another step forward in the Eastern Conference and would be willing to part ways with a couple of pieces (including a talented young prospect) in an attempt to get some win-now pieces.
The Hawks, electing to pivot to more of a rebuild, would rather take the younger pieces compared to the win-now players that the Lakers would have to send out in this potential deal to make the money work all around.
Grading the trade for the Orlando Magic
Aside from Trae Young, the Orlando Magic would be getting the second and possibly the third-best players in this entire deal. That should have Magic fans happy. For the Magic, they could think of the trade this way: they are trading Cole Anthony, who has played a minimal role for the team in the playoffs, Jett Howard, and a future first-round pick for Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and two future second-round picks. That's a pretty solid deal for the Magic overall.
Orlando answers some of their big questions in the backcourt with the arrival of a healthy Vincent and gets a true All-Star addition in Reaves. Additionally, they get a strong glue guy in Vanderbilt. If the Magic are going to take another step forward in the Eastern Conference, this is what it's going to look like.
I can't imagine the Magic are going to make a big enough splash in free agency where it would equate to a better move than what this blockbuster deal would offer them. All in all, the Magic would have to seriously consider the possibilities this deal could offer them.
Grade: B+
Grading the trade for the Atlanta Hawks
Heading into the offseason, the Atlanta Hawks are probably thinking that they're going to get a huge haul in any potential blockbuster deal for Trae Young. And while that may have been the case a couple of years ago, I'm not so sure that's going to be the case this summer. Nevertheless, two future first-round picks, two young prospects, and a rotation guard might be good enough to pry Young out of Atlanta.
If the Hawks would be leaning toward a rebuild rather than a retooling of a roster in a way that would continue to help them compete for a playoff spot next season, this is a deal that would make a ton of sense. This deal is not the four or five future first-round picks that we've seen in the past with other star trades, but it does rival that level of value.
But once the Hawks realize that Young's trade value isn't what they think it to be, they're this is more of the type of realistic deal that will be there for the taking this summer. The question is, would this deal be enough to sell the fan base on?
Grade: B-
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