Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Remaining Plans for 2024 Offseason

The 2024 NBA offseason somehow feels both eventful and quiet for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On the eventful front, they lured former sharpshooter JJ Redick away from the media world to become their head coach, they perhaps snagged the draft's biggest steal in Dalton Knecht and they used their final pick to make history by uniting LeBron James with his firstborn, Bronny James.

On the other hand, they couldn't lure coach Dan Hurley away from UConn, haven't added an external free agent and have yet to turn trade-rumor rumblings into actual transactions.

There's still time to make noise, though, and there has been some recent buzz about what may or may not be in the franchise's future.

A full year has passed since the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a five-year, $160 million contract with veteran forward Jerami Grant and then saw Damian Lillard request trade shortly thereafter. Grant has loomed as a logical trade candidate ever since.

The two-way forward has apparently caught the attention of the Lakers, too, as Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report noted they've had discussions with the Blazers on a deal. It doesn't sound like those talks had much traction, though, as Highkin reported Portland would want the two future first-round picks L.A. can trade, and the Lakers have been unwilling to meet that price.

Green, in theory, could be an interesting third (near-) star to slot alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Green could scratch itches for size, athleticism and defensive versatility on the wing, and he's never had more success as a quantity-plus-quality shooter (2.2 threes per game on 40.2 percent shooting over the past two seasons).

Still, that contract is large, and it will only grow more onerous as he moves deeper into his 30s. If the contract cost isn't factored into his trade price—and if the Blazers really want both future firsts, it hasn't been so far—then Grant probably isn't the right trade target for the Purple and Gold.

Trae Young has been linked to the Lakers for months.

It sounds increasingly unlikely he's actually coming to Hollywood.

The Lakers "have shown little recent interest in Young," per ESPN's Zach Lowe. While Lowe added the caveat this "could change if the price drops to L.A.'s liking," it's hard to find the incentive for the Atlanta Hawks to do so.

Young is pricey and tricky to build around, but he's also 25 and among the most productive players at this position. Trading him for a discounted return doesn't make a lot of sense, particularly when the Hawks wouldn't reap the rewards of bottoming out, since they don't have control of their first-round picks for the next three years.

Maybe that's just as well, as Young isn't an ideal fit for L.A.'s third star. Sure, his scoring and shot-creation could help, but his presence might take the ball out of James' hands while also torpedoing this defense.

When the Lakers kept quiet at the trade deadline, it sounded like that was because they had much bigger ambitions for the summer. Delaying their push meant being able to deal three first-round picks instead of one, positioning the club to potentially pursue a much higher-tier of trade targets.

Fast-forward to this summer, though, and L.A. now doesn't sound particularly interested in going that route.

"They're seeing the landscape of this league and that the three-star model with this salary cap doesn't work or it is much more difficult for it to work," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said.

It's true that being top-heavy under this collective bargaining agreement has proved increasingly difficult to manage. Of course, this could also reflect how L.A. feels about the trade candidates on the market. If, say, someone like Donovan Mitchell had emerged as a realistic target, maybe the Lakers could've chased that talent and worried about the financial factors later.

That said, though, it sure feels like James and Davis could be this squad's only stars again next season.