Photo Credit: Curtis Compton/TNS via ZUMA Wire/dpa
The Los Angeles Lakers turned heads when they advanced to the NBA playoffs and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals after enduring a 2-10 start and sitting under .500 for the majority of the regular season.
While the Lakers somehow overachieved, their goal obviously doesn’t stop there. Following a playoff sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, it’s clear that certain tweaks have to be made to bolster the team’s chances of contending for a championship.
Bleacher Report NBA writer Andy Bailey now proposed a blockbuster trade that would give the Lakers an immediate help and LeBron James a different co-star. In this trade proposal, the Lakers would swap Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura (sign-and-trade) for Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu and De’Andre Hunter.
Per Bleacher Report:
“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.
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. 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.”
