B/R Gives Best and Worst Fits For Trae Young In A Potential Trade

Jackson Caudell | May 6, 2024

Mar 19, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots over San Antonio / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta tried making a big move two years ago by trading for Dejounte Murray, but it has not gone the way that they had hoped. The record when both guards play together is poor, as are the Hawks's overall numbers. It seems likely that one of Murray or Trae Young is going to be split up, but just which one is traded still seems to be a debate.

Before diving deeper into this, it should be noted that the Hawks have not made Young available for trade and Young has not asked to be traded. This is all just speculation and I still think Young will remain in Atlanta when all is said and done this summer. It seems that Atlanta is heading towards breaking up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray, but that could mean that Murray is the one who is traded. Atlanta was shopping Murray this season.

One potential destination for Young is the San Antonio Spurs, a team that has been rumored to have an interest in pairing Young with budding superstar Victor Wembanyama. There could be some truth to the rumors on both sides, as the Spurs hold the Hawks draft capital for the future due to the Murray trade from two years ago. Could the Hawks send their star point guard to San Antonio in an effort to get their draft picks back? It seems possible at the very least.

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley gave the best and worst fits for Young in a potential deal and he named the Spurs as the best possible fit for Young:

"Since Young landed in Atlanta in 2018, the Hawks have yet to rank better than 18th in defensive efficiency. There's a legitimate question of whether it's possible to field even an average defense with him at the helm, which might be why teams reportedly prefer Dejounte Murray as a trade target.

If anyone can make the defensive end work with Young, though, it just might be the 7'4" alien who just electrified the Alamo City as a rookie. Victor Wembanyama's unique blend of size, length, mobility and instincts should make him an annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate—and the potentially perfect on-court partner for Young.

Wembanyama, meanwhile, would immensely benefit from playing alongside an offensive force like Young, who's one of only two players holding career averages north of 25 points and nine assists. The Spurs were legitimately competitive when Wembanyama played with Tre Jones (plus-4.3 net rating), who feels like the definition of an average point guard. Swap in Young, a three-time All-Star with one of the Association's sharpest offensive skill sets, and San Antonio could be a playoff participant as soon as next season."

What about the worst fit for Young? That would be the Detroit Pistons.

"The Pistons, who just posted their fifth consecutive losing record (this one featuring a franchise-worst .171 winning percentage), are seemingly overeager to escape the bottom of the standings. They were mentioned as a "wild card" suitor for Young, with multiple executives telling B/R's Eric Pincus they "need to do something" this summer.

That something shouldn't involve bringing Young to the Motor City. He couldn't solve their talent deficiencies. If anything, the huge number of offensive touches he'd command might stall the development of franchise centerpiece Cade Cunningham (and, if he somehow wasn't involved in the trade, Jaden Ivey, too).

The Pistons, who are clearly nowhere near contention, don't have the personnel to mask Young's limitations or enhance his strengths. Their defense is already dreadful (25th in efficiency), and they don't have enough shooting (26th in true shooting percentage) to pull any defensive attention away from Young."

I would agree on both counts. I am still of the belief that Atlanta will keep Young unless he asks out and demands to be traded, but the Spurs are the team that makes the most sense for both sides, much more than a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Spurs are truly interested in Young and would give Atlanta their full allotment of picks back, it might make the Hawks think about a full rebuild instead of trying to continue to build around Dejounte Murray.

This summer has the potential to be one of the craziest NBA offseasons in recent memory. There are a lot of teams that could be remaking their rosters and Atlanta could be one of them.