No Trade at Deadline, No Problem, the Lakers 3 All-Stars to Pursue in the Summer

The NBA's trade deadline came and went and the Los Angeles Lakers stood pat in a move that disappointed the fanbase, but there's a reason behind that lack of movement in the team's roster. For starters, the front office led by GM Rob Pelinka and the coaching staff believe they have a contending team as it currently is built, and second, they saved their first-round pick to have 3 available to use in the summer.

Now that the Lakers stood pat in the trade deadline, they are focused on getting a point guard in the buyout market, giving themselves an advantage over many other teams thanks to what they saved in the MLE.

Per a recent report, the Los Angeles Lakers could have Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell on their radar this summer as potential trade targets. Rob Pelinka and Coach Ham are already thinking ahead of this campaign and what they can build for next season.

“Moving forward, the Lakers plan to use the three picks that they will have available this summer — 2031, 2029 and either 2024 or 2025, depending on which pick the New Orleans Pelicans choose to receive as part of their return for 2019’s Anthony Davis trade — to pursue a star via trade,” NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote. “Three potential targets are Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, and Kyrie Irving, according to team and league sources. The Athletic has previously reported on the franchise’s interest in Young and Irving.”

The Lakers will pursue a third star next offseason

As Buha reported, the Lakers are planning to pursue a third star this summer. The three names mentioned have already been on the team's radar so it makes sense they want to land one of the three. The most feasible star to get land is Trae Young, as is the only player rumored to be available for a trade.