Lakers shocked by $215M All-Star news: Bitter loss bet right before the season!
The Los Angeles Lakers in action.
Atlanta Hawks superstar guard Trae Young is reportedly “disappointed” that he hasn’t been offered a new contract extension, leading to chatter that he may be traded before the 2026 trade deadline. So, the question beckons: Where do the Los Angeles Lakers stack up in the betting odds for his next destination?
It turns out the Lakers don’t feature in the top six betting favorites to land Young. According to online sportsbook Bovada, the Orlando Magic (+250) are the odds-on favorites to be Young’s next team, followed by the Brooklyn Nets (+290), Sacramento Kings (+375), Phoenix Suns (+450), Houston Rockets (+575) and Miami Heat (+700).
The betting odds make sense, given that the Lakers already have a crowded backcourt featuring Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and Bronny James. As such, it’s not surprising that the Lakers don’t feature in the potential sweepstakes for Young, a ball-dominant guard who may not fit in with JJ Redick’s system.
Trae Young ‘Disappointed’ with Hawks
According to ESPN’s Mark Spears, Young, who is on an expiring contract, is unhappy with the Hawks for not offering him an extension. The four-time All-Star is widely expected to turn down his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season and test free agency, unless the Hawks make him an offer beforehand.
“What I’m hearing now, at this point— you can tell by Trae’s Tweet, and I saw him during the Finals— I think he’s disappointed that it hasn’t come, it hasn’t been offered,” Spears said.
“So don’t be surprised if he plays this out, and sees what happens next summer.”
The tweet Spears was referring to came in the form of a cryptic post from Young, who reacted to the contract stalemate between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys.
“This why you pay the man early, when someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now!” Young wrote on X, reacting to Parsons’ explanation for requesting a trade. “Get what you deserve bro!”
Lakers Not Done Making Moves
The Lakers have had a busy offseason that has seen them shore up their rim protection and perimeter defense, with the additions of Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. Furthermore, the franchise inked Doncic to a three-year, $165 million maximum extension, coronating the Slovenian as the new face of the Purple & Gold.
According to multiple insiders, the Lakers continue to monitor the situation surrounding Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, who could be bought out, and still haven’t given up hope on adding either Al Horford or Kevin Love.
Furthermore, the Lakers could also lock up Austin Reaves to a contract extension before the start of the 2025-26 season, with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reporting that they could offer him up to $30 million per season.
“I think he will get $30 [million] plus,” one executive told Bontemps.
“The expectation, from both that executive and others, is that Reaves ultimately will return to Los Angeles, which would cement Reaves’ role as the long-term running mate next to Doncic in L.A.’s backcourt — the role once held by [Jalen] Brunson then [Kyrie] Irving in Dallas,” Bontemps added.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan