Utah Jazz Linked to Trade Buzz Surrounding Hawks' Trae Young

The Utah Jazz have been investigating a massive move.

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The trade chatter is nonstop when it comes to the Utah Jazz this offseason.

While recent discussions have been surrounding a potential blockbuster headlined by Lauri Markkanen being shipped off this summer, it looks like the Jazz could still be interested in buying talent to come aboard, rather than hosting a fire sale.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Jazz have reportedly had conversations with the Atlanta Hawks about Trae Young, in addition to previous discussions revolving around Dejounte Murray and Mikal Bridges.

The Jazz, as previously reported at Yahoo Sports, were looking into trading for [Mikal] Bridges, held conversations with Atlanta about both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, sources said, and were working to assemble a group around Markkanen that could have possibly drawn [Paul] George's eye."

It's no surprise that the Jazz have been active on the block in recent weeks, as Danny Ainge made it widely clear during his end-of-season presser that they would be "big-game hunting" over the summer. Bridges and Murray were previously mentioned as candidates to be acquired by Utah before their respective deals, but Young enters as a new name to watch in the fold.

Young is coming off his sixth season in Atlanta where he posted 25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists en route to his third-career All-Star appearance. It was another year of stellar production as one of the premier guards in the NBA, and would instantly provide a massive spark to Utah's offense as a scorer and playmaker if the Jazz opted to pull the trigger on a trade to bring him in.

There are some defensive issues with Young and could prove to be cause for concern if a deal with the Jazz managed to come to fruition. Utah ranked dead-last in the NBA for defensive rating in 2024, and adding one of the more limited perimeter defenders into the backcourt likely wouldn't help much of that either going forward.

However, if the Jazz were able to secure the services of the 25-year-old guard for a price that wasn't too steep, this front office may be inclined to do so. A duo of Young and Markkanen could serve as a solidified one-two punch in Utah and has room for growth when paired next to an appealing young core.

Expect the rumors to continue surrounding the Jazz as we traverse through an already eventful NBA offseason.

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