Despite the negative attention, Bronny continued playing while trying to break his slump. He finally did on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 12 points on an efficient 5-for-11 shooting night. He also made two of his five three-point attempts, including a late one that tied the game at 79-79.
Following the game, Bronny was asked how he’s dealt with the negative backlash to this point, and he gave a special shoutout to his parents, LeBron and Savannah.
The Los Angeles Lakers have long been a pundit favorite to trade for three-time All-Star point guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, though that appears to have changed.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton co-hosted the July 15 version of “The Lowe Post” podcast, during which they discussed what it would take for Los Angeles to procure Young — who is playing on a five-year, $215.2 million max contract — from Atlanta and whether that prospect currently interests the Lakers brass.
“If the Lakers were going to offer all of their picks including now Dalton Knecht, and some other good stuff, Trae Young could be on the Lakers right now,” Lowe said. “Those deals haven’t happened. I’ve heard teams have cooled off on him, and here we are.”
Los Angeles can trade unprotected first-rounders in both 2029 and 2031 along with Knecht, who the franchise picked with the No. 17 overall selection in the 2024 NBA draft. Young will earn north of $43 million next season, so D’Angelo Russell and the nearly $19 million remaining on his contract would probably have to be part of the deal as salary filler.
However, some of the other “good stuff” to which Lowe refers could be young talent like Max Christie, who the Lakers inked to a four-year extension worth $32 million this offseason.
That the Lakers and other franchises around the league have chilled in their respective pursuits of Young doesn’t mean things can’t heat up again.
LeBron James has been successfully convincing organizations to sacrifice young talent and draft capital for win-now players since his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers more than 15 years ago. James turns 40 in December and has been carrying the offensive load for the Lakers since he arrived there six seasons past.
Young is on the brink of his age-26 campaign and averages 25.5 points and 9.5 assists for his career, including 25.7 points and 10.8 assists for the Hawks last season. Not only could Young alleviate James of his point guard duties when the two are on the floor together, he could shoulder a huge portion of the playmaking responsibilities James has been forced to undertake for years considering the limited options around him.
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