A Lakers-Hawks blockbuster trade for the ultimate Klay Thompson backup plan

The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason isn't off to the best start. Despite LeBron James' willingness to take a pay cut to attract top-end talent, Klay Thompson spurned the California coast for the tax haven of Dallas, Texas. He is going to the Mavericks, which leaves Los Angeles with little choice but to max out LeBron and get creative on the margins.

A potential sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan still lingers in the realm of possibility, but the Lakers would have benefitted immensely from Thompson's elite 3-point shooting. Los Angeles was not a great shooting team last season and JJ Redick is the new head coach. He won't necessarily transplant his play style into his coaching style, but Redick is one of the best movement shooters in league history. He'd know how to draw up plays for Thompson.

Los Angeles was reportedly willing to offer Thompson four years and $80 million, which is a lot to bring one of the NBA fandom's top hypothetical partnerships in LeBron and Klay to fruition. We've all wanted to see it since their championship duels. Instead, Thompson goes to Dallas for $50 million over three years. But he's saving money on taxes, folks.

There are alternatives out there, but very few elite, dynamic shooters pepper the free agent market. Most of the best options (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Isaiah Joe, Malik Monk) flew off the shelves within minutes of free agency's 6:00 p.m. start time on Sunday. So, Los Angeles could need to look at trade options.

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to circle back to conversations with the Atlanta Hawks.

Lakers-Hawks trade to pair LeBron James and Trae Young after Klay Thompson spurns LA

Trae Young shouldn't come cheap, especially considering the stakes of this trade for Atlanta. The Hawks still don't own their 2025 first-round pick, so a straight-up rebuild carries very little immediate value. The Spurs control the next three years of Hawks draft picks due to the ill-fated Dejounte Murray trade. If Atlanta offloads Young, there has to be a solid foundation coming back.

The Hawks receive two potentially valuable first-round picks, far enough in the future to factor out LeBron and maybe even Anthony Davis. Atlanta also receives a young, crafty point guard in Austin Reaves, a valuable expiring contract in D'Angelo Russell, and a solid role-playing wing in Jarred Vanderbilt, who is due for a change of scenery.

This trade allows the Hawks to properly reset around Jalen Johnson and reigning No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. It's fair to wonder if Atlanta ever truly considers a deal that doesn't involve their draft picks coming back from San Antonio, but this is enough to at least get GM Landry Fields on the phone.

As for Los Angeles, the appeal is cut-and-dry. Trae Young addresses the Lakers' need for rim pressure, self-creation, and 3-point shooting in the halfcourt. The Young-AD pick-and-roll chemistry would blossom quickly and Trae's arrival allows JJ Redick to move LeBron off the ball more, preserving the 39-year-old in his 22nd season.

Young gets fair criticism for his defense, which will always be a weakness. To his credit, though, the 25-year-old's defensive effort this past season was markedly better than it has been in the past. He worked hard for stops and created plays with his quick hands (1.3 steals). There are well-documented concerns about the translatability of Young's ball-dominant style, but he's a highly intelligent, highly skilled guard with elite shooting touch. Odds are he figures out how to work alongside LeBron, and vice versa.