The Los Angeles Lakers opted not to make any moves at the NBA trade deadline this season, doing so for a number of reasons. One of the biggest, though, is that by holding on to their only tradable first-round draft pick, they open the door to have three available firsts this offseason. That drastically changes the level of player they can acquire, and names like Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell have already been rumored.
The Lakers have tried the three-star model with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the past when they dealt for Russell Westbrook. However, that experiment failed miserably when Westbrook showed himself to be a bad fit next to James in particular and L.A. was left with no flexibility to build out their roster. For that reason alone, a third star should be a model the Lakers would be hesitant to pursue.
But it seems they are going to try again this offseason with Young, Mitchell and an unsurprising third option in Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, according to Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
The Lakers plan to continue their quest for a third star this summer, armed with as many as three first-round picks, four pick swaps and multiple second-round picks to make a compelling offer for any available star. According to team sources, the organization has discussed three names internally: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell and Irving.
It’s unclear how available all three of these players are going to be this offseason, but the assumption is that they all could be had. Next season is Mitchell’s last before his ability to enter free agency with a player option, and if he makes it known to the Cleveland Cavaliers that he won’t be re-signing, a trade may be better for them.
Young, meanwhile, could be available if the Atlanta Hawks decide it’s time to reset their core after a few underwhelming seasons with Young at the helm. And Irving, as always, is a wild card. Three first-round picks is likely not enough to land Mitchell, but Young and Irving may be realistic.
This third star experiment, with one of these three stars, would go infinitely better than the Westbrook era. All three of these players are elite shooters and would add another dimension to a Lakers offense that has already been elite in recent weeks.
Kendrick Perkins teases star to Lakers this summer
The rumors of the Lakers’ quest for a third star have not been subtle since the trade deadline. Even NBA media personalities like Kendrick Perkins are already discussing how the Lakers are going to land a third star in the offseason once they have more draft picks at their disposal.
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