The Los Angeles Lakers turned their season around in 2022-23 with an ambitious overhaul, and they don't appear to be willing to rest on their laurels.
"The Lakers have pursued other star guards," The Athletic's Jovan Buhan noted on August 31.
"Trae Young has long been on Los Angeles' radar, depending on how his situation unfolds in Atlanta."
Young and the Hawks are coming off a 41-41 season in which they overhauled their front office and hired former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.
They've also been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two years, and Young has been mentioned as the next star to push a trade.
He is in the second year of a five-year, $215 million deal.However, he has a $48.9 million early termination option for the 2026-26 season,
"Unfortunately, shipping out John Collins was not nearly enough to get the Hawks out of their salary predicament," The Athletic's Danny Leroux wrote on August 28.
"Expect Hawks general manager Landry Fields to have to let go of at least one more big-ticket player over the next year or so."