The future of Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young is officially in limbo. With the trade deadline approaching, both Young and the organization are reportedly working to identify a trade partner.
According to recent reports, there has been no urgency from teams to trade for the undersized guard; however, that could all change in the coming weeks. Time will tell, but that isn’t stopping Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report from proposing this massive three-team trade idea that sees Young remain in the Eastern Conference.
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Buckley’s trade idea sees Young land with one of the worst teams in the league, the Brooklyn Nets. The other two teams involved in this trade proposal are the Hawks, of course, and the best team in the East, the Detroit Pistons.
Brooklyn Nets receive: Trae Young, 2028 first-round pick (top-five protected, via ATL, UTA or CLE)
Atlanta Hawks receive: Tobias Harris, Ron Holland II, Jaden Ivey
Detroit Pistons receive: Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, 2029 second-round pick (via CLE, from ATL)
“It’s not often that a 27-year-old with his accolades hits the open market, let alone reaches it with bargain potential (that’s not injury-related). That has to tempt any team with a star-less roster, especially one still in the identity-forming stage of an organizational overhaul.
“It’s possible to build a winner around Young-the Hawks three playoff trips and one Eastern Conference Finals berth to show for his tenure-it just takes a full commitment to tailor a roster to his strengths and weaknesses. Considering Brooklyn is basically working with a blank slate, it might be up to the challenge.
“While the Nets just loaded up on potential playmakers at this past summer’s draft, they didn’t exactly walk away with a surefire franchise floor general. Even rookie-year Young was way more productive than any of the Nets’ newbies (19.1 points and 8.1 assists; Egor Dёmin, the most promising of the lot, is at 9.9 and 3.4, respectively).”
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It is not a matter of if but when Young will be dealt. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shared how a split between Young and the Hawks is imminent.
"Trae Young's Hawks tenure is coming to an end. He appears to be in his final days, and weeks, in Atlanta after seven seasons together as the face of that franchise," Charania said Tuesday.
"I'm told both Trae Young and the Hawks know he just doesn't fit with the current team anymore. We've seen the Hawks turn the page towards this young core of Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu. Both sides now are collaborating on trade talks out of Atlanta, turning the page and seeing where else Young can land to be the lead guard of a franchise elsewhere."
The two sides are going in different directions. Young sees that, and at only 27 years old and with a lot left in the tank, we could see a team pounce on the four-time All-Star ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Young is currently averaging 19.3 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.0 steals in only 10 games of what has been an injury-riddled season.
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