The Lakers are determined to land a third star to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
Buha made the comments in a recent Q&A video. Here’s everything he had to say:
“Yes, they are,” Buha said of the Lakers’ plan to acquire a third star in the offseason. “And I can confirm that from multiple sources. They are going third-star hunting this offseason. And we’ll see how that affects the DLo situation. We’ll see how — you probably have to give up Austin in almost any third-star trade.
“… Now, who’s available? The one name I continually hear is Trae Young. He’s been to Laker playoff games before. He’s a Klutch Sports client. That’s probably the most realistic one right now. What happens with Dallas and Kyrie? Do they flame out? Do they lose in the Play-In? Do they lose in round one? Does Dallas ultimately break that up? And then, what’s the market for Kyrie?
“Donovan Mitchell, it seems like there’s been a little bit more growing optimism and buzz that he’s gonna stay in Cleveland. But even if he leaves, the two New York teams have reportedly been the favorites just because he’s from the greater New York area.”
Trae Young’s name has been linked to the Lakers for some time now. ESPN reported in January that LA had discussed trading for Young in exchange for three draft picks. Then in February, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer confirmed that the Lakers had interest in Young.
Rumors of Young joining the Lakers have existed since 2020, when he signed with Klutch Sports, the same agency that represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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