NBA Trades: These 4 offseason moves could transform the Lakers

3) Trade for Trae Young

Acquiring Bronny James will be just step one in their offseason plans, with landing a superstar the biggest priority. The most likely trade target would be Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, who may be available in the offseason and the Lakers might have just enough to get him.

With D'Angelo Russell likely to opt out of his contract this summer, the Lakers will be forced to offer Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves in a package for Young. That is due to Young making $43 million next season and the Lakers needing to match his salary. They would probably prefer to keep Reaves out of the deal, but the Hawks seemed interested in him during trade discussions around the trade deadline.

If he helps get the Hawks to agree to the deal, then the Lakers would have to include him. In addition to those players, they could include their 2024, 2028, and 2031 first-round picks to try and get the deal done. Were they to do so, L.A. would add an elite offensive player to the core of LeBron and Davis.

That hypothetical Big 3 would rival just about any in the NBA and give the Lakers their best chance to win. However, what would be their backup option were they to strike out on Young?