Trade Idea Sends Hawks' Trae Young to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets could trade for Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young.

Dec 6, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts after giving the Hawks the lead in the final minute against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets are trying to find ways to become more competitive for the upcoming season.

That's why Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley suggests that the Nets should trade for Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young. In the mock deal, the Nets acquire Young in exchange for Ben Simmons, Dariq Whitehead, a 2025 first-round pick (via PHO), a 2027 first-round pick (top-eight protected, via PHI) and a 2029 first-round pick (via DAL).

"Young has his limitations—namely, anything connected to defense—but the Nets could be desperate enough for offense and star power to look past them," Buckley writes. "If the idea is to win something of substance during Mikal Bridges' prime, then the talent base must expand fast. Getting Young, who rattles off 25-point, 10-dime double-doubles in his sleep, would go a long way toward that expansion."

Young, 25, averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game this past season with the Hawks, but he has not been able to replicate the success his team had when they went to the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2021.

That deep playoff run has this appeal surrounding Young that he can maybe return to that stage someday. However, the East has gotten better and the team around Young hasn't progressed.

Ultimately, Young's defensive lapses have made him less valuable despite his uber-successful offensive skills. His addition to the Nets will keep them in the middle of the pack in the East, and that doesn't do anyone any favors. It just eliminates half of the limited future draft capital the Nets have.

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