A new NBA trade proposal has the Los Angeles Lakers trading Anthony Davis to the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young and two players.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report proposed that the Lakers trade Davis and Rui Hachimura to the Hawks for Young, Onyeka Okongwu and De’Andre Hunter.
“The idea of Trae Young joining the Lakers is already in the ether,” Bailey wrote. “The fit between him and Dejounte Murray wasn’t great in Year 1, and The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that L.A. has already had ‘internal discussions’ about acquiring him. Atlanta Hawks writers like Hawks.com’s Kevin Chouinard have understandably pooh-poohed the notion of such a deal, but what if the Lakers got really serious and put Anthony Davis on the table?
“The Ringer’s Bill Simmons kicked around the idea of an AD-Young swap on a recent episode of his Bill Simmons Podcast with Buha appearing as a guest. Of course, this wouldn’t accomplish LeBron’s potential goal of upgrading from two stars to three, but Young doesn’t turn 25 till September. That alone could keep the Lakers’ window to contend open a bit longer, and Young’s averages of 27.4 points and 9.7 assists over the last four seasons suggest he’s more capable of alleviating LeBron’s responsibilities than Davis is.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & Atlanta Hawks Updates
The Lakers have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Young is represented by Omar Wilkes of Klutch Sports Group, the same agency LeBron James and Davis are with.
LeBron had 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. However, the Lakers still lost. Bailey thinks Young could spare James performances like the one he had in Game 4.
“In the closeout game against Denver, LeBron played 48 minutes, scored 40 points and was seemingly running on fumes by the end of the game,” Bailey wrote. “AD wasn’t able to carry enough of that load. Young could spare LeBron performances like that and potentially preserve whatever he has left in the tank over the next few years.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & Atlanta Hawks Updates
Young signed a five-year, $215.2 million rookie maximum extension with the Hawks in August 2021. The two-time All-Star averaged 26.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists this season for the Hawks while shooting 42.9% from the field, 33.5% from 3 and 88.6% from the free-throw line.
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