NBA Insider Suggests Trae Young Could Have "Easily" Been Traded To The Spurs

Would the Hawks have trade Young to the Spurs?

Nov 30, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles the ball in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest moves this offseason was when the Atlanta Hawks traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks. The Hawks got good value for Murray and the one thing that was clear by them doing this trade is that star point guard Trae Young is going to be generating everything when it comes to the offense. While there was a lot of talk about who the Hawks might trade this offseason, it ended up being Murray.

On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast, ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim McMahon were talking about how Trae Young is one of the NBA's most important players this year and they got into a discussion about Young's trade value:

"So I don't know if they Hawks would ever say this publicly but I think they knew they had to break up the Dejounte Murray and Trae Young and they player they could trade for value was Dejounte Murray. I am sure there was lots of different pieces of nuance involved in how they went about that, but I just don't. I just, you know, I am not sure that Trae Young's value is as high as they'd like it to be. So this is a real pivotal year as you say for Trae Young."

McMahon went on to say this about Young:

"And I mean you hit it. A simple fact of the matter is if there was a real market for Trae Young, he'd be somewhere else right now. It is not like they got some kind of wild blockbuster return for Dejounte Murray. I mean it was ok, but like it was not anything compared to some of the star trades that we have seen."

Windhorst talked about the Hawks getting back the Lakers unprotected pick in the trade and then McMahon chimed in with this interesting quote about Young and the Spurs:

"Yeah, but listen, like the San Antonio Spurs, if they wanted Trae Young, they easily could have gone and gotten him and that was not even a bet on Trae Young as your best player, that was Young as your second-best player. So again, there was not a real market for Trae Young and he does not necessarily need to reestablish a trade market for himself but as you said, as extension talks are coming, I think he does have to reestablish his value"

I do think this is a big year for Young, but I also feel as if he is becoming one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Young is an offense unto himself and I think the blame should be on the Hawks front office for the roster that was around him. I don't think this is an NBA Finals contender this year, but this roster might be the best the Hawks have out around him.

Young is still leading the offense and the Hawks have made an effort to address their weaknesses from last season. Atlanta has potentially upgraded on defense and they have gotten bigger. Dyson Daniels has the potential to be a high-level two-way player for the Hawks and could be an ideal starting guard to put next to Young if he can knock down shots on offense. Jalen Johnson took a major leap forward last year and if he can stay healthy, he could be even better. Atlanta has veterans such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, and Larry Nance to provide depth. Another X-factor could be how much second-year guard Kobe Bufkin can contribute this year. Bufkin has had some injuries but has flashed when given the chance. The Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick and he has a chance to provide size on defense and shooting on the other end. Is he ready to contribute from day one?

Young is one of the best playmakers and shot creators in the NBA and the Hawks should still be fine on that end without Dejounte Murray. Can they improve enough on defense and have the younger players take another step forward? If so, the Hawks should be able to make a playoff push.