NBA Trades: These 4 offseason moves could transform the Lakers

2) Trade for Donovan Mitchell, if they can't land Young

If the Lakers were to strike out on acquiring Young, they could pursue Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell instead. Mitchell is expected to be available this summer since he is reportedly unwilling to sign an extension with the Cavaliers ahead of his free agency in 2025.

That would give the Lakers a secondary option to pursue, were the Hawks to move Young elsewhere or decide against trading him. Unlike Young, who has at least a couple of seasons remaining on his contract, Mitchell only has one year left on his deal.

That could work out in the Lakers favor, with Mitchell being able to veto a trade to a team he doesn't want to play for by having his agent get word out that he wouldn't re-sign there in free agency. Instead, his agent might provide the Cavs with a list of teams that he would be willing to play for long-term. The Cavs can choose the best offer from those teams or risk losing their best player for nothing in a little more than a year.

The framework of Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves, plus their 2024 and 2028 first-round picks, might be enough to get a deal done, with Reaves and two firsts being the selling points of the trade. Acquiring Mitchell instead of Young would probably produce similar results and push them back into contention with LeBron and Davis, even when LeBron retires.