Lakers reportedly expected to be ‘aggressive’ in trade market this offseason

The offseason starts now for the Lakers and we are back to looking at what trades could get them closer to title contention.

With the Lakers out of the playoffs after being eliminated by the Nuggets on Monday, the focus quickly turns to improving this team in the offseason.

When the Lakers didn't make a move during the NBA trade deadline this season, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka mentioned "making a much bigger and impactful movement potentially in June and July."

Well, it's still a month before we reach the summer, but it seems Pelinka and the Lakers still share the sentiment that they will push to get better this offseason. Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on the current approach the Lakers will be taking heading into the summer.

The Lakers are expected to be aggressive in the market, with Atlanta’s Trae Young one of the more intriguing names out there. The Lakers’ room could be split on him as they try to make the most of this precious time in which James and Davis are still playing at an elite level. He’ll be one of many names that is expected to be discussed.

The team needs backcourt help, particularly after Russell’s up-and-down play against the Nuggets for a second consecutive season. His performance leaves a significant question about his likelihood to return, even with an $18.7 million player option for next season. The Lakers will be armed with three first-round draft picks eligible to be moved on draft night, plus tradeable contracts tied to Reaves, who has strong value across the league, and Hachimura.

To go in line with this, longtime NBA beat writer Marc Stein also shared some similar reporting in his newsletter on Monday, also specifically naming Trae Young.

They continue to be described by rival executives as a team to watch as a potential trade suitor for Atlanta’s Trae Young, although other trade targets could well surface in coming weeks and with much for management to sort out on the coaching and James fronts before the offseason trade market is likely to fully crystalize.

The turnover in Los Angeles is always high and with Darvin Ham's job reportedly in "serious peril" it appears the Lakers may look drastically different next year.

So many changes might feel exhausting, but at the end of the day, this team didn't get the job done. There's plenty of blame to go around regarding why the Lakers failed to go far this season from the coaching to the players and even the roster construction itself.

This season wasn't a disaster by any stretch, but it's clear the current team can't run it back and expect a better result. They need to close the gap between themselves and the elite in the West, like Denver and to do that, new players will need to come in.

We'll have to wait and see whether that improvement comes from making a trade for a big star like Young or finding better rotation players. Still, the Lakers have a lot of flexibility and Pelinka and the organization have to get this right.

And there's a lot to get right, like ensuring LeBron James returns, making a coaching decision and picking the right player or players to pair with LeBron and Anthony Davis to give them one more shot at a title before Father Time closes that window himself.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.