NBA Rumors: Lakers have entirely unrealistic expectations to trade for Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell

As the Lakers try to beat a Clippers squad without LeBron James, they're also continuing to work the trade market. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers are looking to keep their tradable draft picks for this offseason so the franchise can trade for Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell.

These two all-NBA veterans will probably be somewhat available as Cleveland could be worried that they lose Mitchell for nothing and Atlanta could be looking for an entire rebuild this offseason after not being able to get far in the Trae Young era. If L.A. can wait until the offseason, the squad can offer their 2030 first-round pick which allows the squad to offer a total of three first-round picks for any All-NBA talent in the trade market this offseason.

Do the Lakers have a chance to trade for Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell with their limited assets?

In all reality, the Lakers' trade offer of D'Angelo Russell and three first-round picks is probably not something that moves the needle enough to have the Hawks or Cavs accept it. Squads will most likely have better offers for these superstars. One franchise that could probably offer more first-round picks is the New York Knicks who have been waiting to get Mitchell in a Knick jersey.

At the end of the day, the Lakers should focus on getting better role players that can help the squad win in the next one to three years. That includes this season where the franchise has had two All-NBA veterans play up to their potential in James and Davis.

Even if the Lakers use assets to get role players before this trade deadline, the franchise will likely still be big game hunting for Young or Mitchell if either becomes available on the trade market. This will happen no matter how much more laughable these offers get.