NBA Analyst Predicts Trae Young To Be Among Next Wave of Trade Requests

As the season draws closer, the speculation around Young's future continues to simmer.

Oct 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is defended by Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Even though he has not requested a trade and the Hawks chose him over Dejounte Murray when they shipped Murray to New Orleans, the speculation over how long Trae Young will be an Atlanta Hawk is not dying anytime soon.

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes seems to think the partnership between Young and the Hawks is reaching a breaking point sooner rather than later. Young was listed alongside names like Brandon Ingram, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Jimmy Butler as players likely to look for a new home in the coming seasons.

Hughes had this to say about the rationale behind why a Young trade could happen sooner rather than later:

"Many teams in the Atlanta Hawks' position would have traded Trae Young by now. Over the last four years, they've managed no more than 43 wins and no fewer than 36, which is precisely in that dreaded middle ground between bottoming out and contending. Despite that mediocrity, the Hawks lucked into the No. 1 overall pick and selected Zaccharie Risacher. Even if nobody was overly juiced about the 2024 draft, that good fortune should have given Atlanta carte blanche to bust up a stale roster, trade Young for more picks and begin a full rebuild."

"Unfortunately for Atlanta, it doesn't control its first-rounders in 2025, 2026 or 2027. Thanks to the trade that brought Dejounte Murray aboard (who now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, by the way,) those belong to the San Antonio Spurs. Bottoming out won't produce the typical draft-lottery reward for the Hawks. That said, Atlanta could pivot anyway. In an ideal world, it'd move Young to the Spurs for some or all of its previously owned draft equity. A deal that sent Young elsewhere would still make sense. If you can't get your own picks back, getting several of someone else's is a solid consolation prize."

"Atlanta remains a middling operation caught between extremes. If things don't go well to start the season, Young could sense what's coming and get out ahead of it. Sort of a "you can't fire me; I quit!" situation. Six full seasons, three of which included All-Star nods, is pretty long stint with an average team for someone with Young's profile. And it's not like rumors of the Hawks dealing him would be new. It just feels like, one way or the other, this partnership is nearing its expiration date."

Now, it is entirely possible that Young decides to request a trade from Atlanta. Star players are more mercurial than ever before. If Atlanta misses the postseason once again or gets soundly thrashed in the first round, it would be very easy for Young to look around the NBA landscape and decide he can do better. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets might at least consider it. However, Atlanta's situation is far less dire than the situations that the other candidates for a trade request find themselves in.

Ingram does not fit on the Pelicans' roster because they have two wings who fill more vital roles on their roster and need to pay one of them. The Suns have arguably the worst financial situation in the NBA and will almost certainly need to trade one of Durant or Booker in the coming seasons to duck the harsh penalties of being repeat second-apron offenders. Predicting whether Harden is happy in his situation has proven to be an impossible task, but the health of Kawhi Leonard is likely going to be a major factor in his satisfaction. Butler is up for a new extension and is 35 years old. There's a significant chance Miami decides to not pay him that money due to his age and concerns over how that deal might age.

Young is 26 and firmly at the center of the Hawks' plans. They've reconfigured the roster to get players that cover up for his weaknesses and maximize his strengths. As far as supporting Young goes, the front office traded for Murray in line with Young's wishes, moved off of him when it didn't work and found a deal that made sense for their roster. Since Landry Fields has been the general manager, they have also empowered Jalen Johnson to take on a bigger role in the offense.

This could still result in a trade request from Young, but the signs for one aren't as clear-cut as they might have appeared to be at one point in time.