According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers will be “active” and “aggressive” in trade negotiations for their first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“The answer is definitely yes,” Buha replied when someone inquired about the Lakers’ intentions to trade their first-round pick. On draft night, the Lakers plan to try and move their No. 17 pick. They will have the opportunity to employ all three of their tradeable first-round selections for the first time.
And it’s a great chance for them to add a third star to the squad or to strengthen it by adding one, two, or three of those picks to the roster along with players who are already under contract to strengthen the bench or the starting lineup.
However, this will be the first time they have access to several picks. And from what I understand, they’re going to act hostile. Additionally, they will be engaged. And they’ll make an effort to exploit that.
There have been “legitimate rumblings” since April, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, about the potential trade of Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young. Given that a report from Buha in August of last year said that Los Angeles has had the floor general on its radar, it’s important to note that Young has been linked to the Lakers in trade rumours for a considerable amount of time.
Thus, MacMahon stated, “I find the Hawks situation intriguing because, let me think, there have only recently been legitimate — whatever word I want to use — rumblings about the possibility of Trae Young being traded.” “You would hardly even think that the Hawks would take that into consideration until recently.” Considering the age of LeBron James, who is undoubtedly the team’s finest player, it is understandable why the Lakers are reportedly amenable to moving the No. 17 overall selected.
The Lakers are in a win-now attitude and don’t have the luxury of time to wait for a young player to grow with this present core because James, at 39, is now the oldest player in the NBA and it’s unclear how long he will stay in the league.
In addition to James’ elderly age, Anthony Davis, another key player on the team, is also becoming older.
The big man turned 31 in March, and with 12 NBA seasons under his belt—five of which he spent with the illustrious Lakers—he has a lot of miles on his body.
The Lakers’ five-game loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs makes it very evident that the roster’s composition outside of James and Davis needs to be improved. While Los Angeles’ stars combined for an average of 27.8 points per game versus Denver, their complementary players’ offensive output was not always constant.
Both D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura shot less than 40% from the field during the Lakers’ first-round series, which was an underwhelming performance from a scoring standpoint. With any luck, the Lakers’ front staff can turn their first-round selection into a player who can start helping the team win games straight away.