Former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins says he’s been told that the Los Angeles Lakers are getting a “superstar” this summer.
Perkins can’t reveal who the player is, though.
The Lakers have been linked to Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young and Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving.
Young has the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) as Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so many people believe he’s the player Perkins is talking about.
A source told Hoops Wire that the Lakers will aggressively pursue a Young trade this summer. Young signed a five-year, $215 million extension with the Hawks in August 2021. He’ll make $43 million next season and $45 million in 2025-26.
Young is averaging 26.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 10.9 assists this season while shooting 42.7% from the field, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 85.8% from the free-throw line. He has 35 double-doubles in 50 games.
Irving, who played three seasons with LeBron on the Cavaliers, is averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.4% from beyond the arc and 87.8% from the free-throw line. He was interested in reuniting with LeBron last summer on the Lakers or Mavericks.
Finally, Mitchell is averaging 28.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season while shooting 47.3% from the field, 36.1% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the free-throw line. His future with the Cavaliers has been a hot topic in NBA circles ever since Cleveland lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games.
LeBron has long wanted a star ball-handling sidekick, dating back to the Lakers’ failed bid for Damian Lillard in the summer of 2021 and their subsequent trade for Russell Westbrook. The King urged the Lakers to acquire Irving in the summer of 2022, at the 2023 trade deadline and again last summer.
LeBron can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if he declines his $51.4 million player option. The Lakers’ preference is for The Akron Hammer to retire with them.
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