Could the Atlanta Hawks and their All-Star point guard Trae Young be heading toward a divorce? Rumors swirled throughot the 2022-23 NBA season that the relationship between the two parties was souring and Young could look for a change of scenery in the near future.
Pinpointing where the Oklahoma product could end up is tough. For how eye-popping his raw statistics are at times, there is a real debate about how much of an impact he has on his team actually winning games.
The Hawks have fallen woeful short of expectations following a surprise run to the Eastern Confernece Finals in 2021. Their blockbuster trade last offseason for Dejounte Murray didn’t pan out as planned and they could look to shake things up.
Which teams could make a move for Young? Joshua Buckhalter of Soaring Down South recently put together a list of four prospective suitors, with the first being the Los Angeles Clippers.
He suggested the Clippers swap Paul George for Young, finally addressing their need for a point guard. The deal doesn’t bring back any draft capital to Atlanta, but it can be argued their ceiling is raised exponentially with the two-way skill set of George as long as he can remain healhy.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers & Chicago Bulls Updates
Next up was the Chicago Bulls. With point guard Lonzo Ball already announced out for the upcoming season, the Bulls could be in the market for a new lead playmaker. Buckhalter suggested swapping Zach LaVine for Young.
This would be an interesting swap as both teams balance out their roster a little bit with this swap. The Bulls would likely be happy getting back Young, who is four years younger than LaVine.
The next team mentioned is the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn is now flush with tradeable assets following the blockbuster deals centered around Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Valuable contracts and a ton of draft picks could be put in a package to acquire Young from the Hawks.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Buckhalter suggested a package of Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, Cam Thomas and first-round picks. The Hawks would likely be looking for more in the player department, but the draft capital would certainly be a nice addition after depleting theirs to land Murray.
Last but not least, he suggested a swap with the Philadelphia 76ers. James Harden is looking for a change of scenery, again, and could find one in Atlanta if the Hawks want to take him on in exchange for Young.
This is a swap both teams likely say no to. The 76ers have a dynamic scoring guard in Tyrese Maxey. Young is a more dynamic playmaker, but whatever advantage they have offensively would be given back defensively. The Hawks would be looking for more in return than an aging superstar as well.
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