Everybody Eats: Trae Young Doesn't Mind Sharing Spotlight, But Would A Spurs-Pairing Work?

The Atlanta Hawks have sat perfectly in-between good and bad over the last few seasons with Trae Young, so with a trade potentially brewing in the offseason, would putting him next to Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio Spurs be a astute choice, or could it backfire?

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shown while warming up. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

0.48427673.

When converted to a percentage, that brings the Atlanta Hawks to a winning percentage of just under 50 percent dating back to 2014-15.

Ten seasons. Fifty percent.

Not great, but also not abysmal to the point of no return. Perhaps that's why the main core has remained rostered every year of Trae Young's still youthful career. Well, all except John Collins.

This past season has been the only one where Collins wasn't in a Hawks uniform. A spectacle that was once normal for Collins and — consequently — a lob threat that used to be second-nature for Young was changed. The Hawks lost the pairing they initially thought would be paramount to postseason success, and the duo lost a teammate in each other.

"As a teammate, I loved playing with JC," Young said of losing Collins to a trade with the Utah Jazz. "I’ve thrown a lot of lobs to him. He made me look really good a lot.”

So, with no more Collins, Young's lob targets went significantly down. The Hawks went from a first-round exit to not even making the playoffs — only furthering the lackluster success they'd found for years — and suddenly, the team was faced with a quandry.

Is Young the long-term answer?

Apr 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) points to a teammate. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The answer to that question is less a knock on Young himself and more a knock on the current system in place in Atlanta. Only making it to the conference finals once in six seasons — and going without it for three — certainly isn't a winning recipe. So, where could Young land?

Early indications put Young in San Antonio. The Spurs could potentially deal for him and return the picks they received in the Dejounte Murray trade — that is, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick-swap and a 2027 first-rounder — to essentially complete a multi-year swap of stars.

But while that would make sense on paper, the other aspect lies in question. How much of a fit would he be alongside Victor Wembanyama? And would sharing the spotlight be an issue?

When Young stood inside Madison Square Garden and put up shots that made him an instant villain in New York, he was in the spotlight. When he was traded for Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic on draft night, he was in the spotlight.

Since he's been the face of Atlanta amidst its postseason woes, the spotlight has been on him.

Sure, he'd certainly play a large role on a young Spurs team if he were to be dealt there, but the attention he's used to as a franchise player would certainly dwindle. He'd be playing next to a 7-foot-4 forward with the entire league in his hands. But, according to Young, that's okay.

“People may think that I have to feel like I'm the best player on the team or first option,” Young explained of his time in the spotlight. "I'm not that way. I've never been that way. ... I know when we win, everybody eats. So, that's just been my motto since I was in high school."

A high-school Trae Young certainly would want to win more than he has been as of late. He'd also likely marvel at the idea of playing alongside the NBA's biggest lob target.

But would it work?

In short, yes. Young is a true point guard, a master of the floater and a solid passer. He'd be able to find Wembanyama in the paint while simultaneously drawing attention to his own shots to space the floor.

Mix that with Devin Vassell — who's still getting better — and some strong defenders in Jeremy Sochan and Cidy Sissoko, and you have a solid team. It's just a matter of whether the front office sees a vision and/or a future with Young at the point.

The Spurs do have a long way to go, and adding Young wouldn't instantly get it to that point, nor solve all of its issues, but he would be a huge boon. And it would give Wembanyama a strong reason to get even more excited about his second year in the league.

After all, he's already proud of the work he and his teammates have done.

"I'm pretty satisfied with the growth we had together this year," Wembanyama said, reflecting on his season. "(We've) definitely had good improvement, and this is one more reason, and I'm satisfied with it this year."

"We have some info now on what we can do and what we do well."