Could Malik Beasley be a primary piece of a possible Lakers trade for Trae Young?

Almost immediately after the Los Angeles Lakers' 2022-23 season had wrapped up at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, the rumors began swirling. The primary talking points included Kyrie Irving, who's remained linked to the Lakers in some fashion virtually all year, and then a new name in Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.

As The Athletic's Jovan Buha previously reported. the Lakers "had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer." While it's tough to envision a world where the Lakers don't have plenty of competition in potential trade talks surrounding the 24-year-old All-Star, it's likely Rob Pelinka could navigate a strong enough offer to make the move a realistic possibility.

The pros and cons of a possible trade for Young will certainly be a debate among fans and analysts, but if working under the assumption that the team jumped head-first into trade talks, the Lakers may already have a player the Hawks have interest in.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports detailed that the Hawks had some level of interest in a potential trade for Malik Beasley, who has a team option worth $16.5 million next season, along with Jarred Vanderbilt.

Pros and cons of Lakers trading Malik Beasley, multiple assets for Trae Young

While Beasley's role down the stretch of last season took a hit, and he wound up playing single-digit minutes for the bulk of the final two rounds of the playoffs, he could still be a key piece of Atlanta's potential interest in the Lakers' hypothetical trade package. Beasley is just 24 years old, and the Hawks' previous interest is unlikely to have taken a hit following his time with the Lakers.

Obviously, the Lakers would need to give up multiple picks and additional assets to make a deal for Young happen, but having a starting point is a major positive if that's how it pans out. The pros of adding Trae Young stand in the outlook of adding one of the NBA's top young guards, who's an exceptional scorer and could ease the workload off LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

But one major concern that comes with the Lakers possibly striking a deal for a top player is the hit that the team's depth will almost certainly take. The Lakers looked like a far better team down the final stretch of the season, posting an 18-8 record, which included a final 11 games where the team went 9-2 to jump up the Western Conference standings, propelling their run to the Western Conference Finals.

Losing that depth puts the Lakers back into the three-star look which previously featured Russell Westbrook next to James and Davis. Young would certainly be an upgrade there at this point in his career, but the same concerns over the depth behind that trio will loom large. The Lakers were close with this group, and with an offseason to tweak it how the front office sees fit, their plan should remain to build off last season instead of making a big splash via trade.