Trade Proposal Sends Trae Young To Magic, Cole Anthony And Jonathan Isaac To Hawks

One NBA analyst proposed that the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic make a trade with each other this offseason. 

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Hawks and Magic:

The trade: The Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young to the Orlando Magic for Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Jett Howard, the No. 18 pick and a 2025 first-round pick (top-five-protected, via DEN)

The Hawks are expected to consider trading Young this offseason.

One of the top scorers and passers in the NBA, Young averaged 25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists this season while shooting 43.0% from the field, 37.3% from beyond the arc and 85.5% from the free-throw line. He recorded 37 double-doubles in 54 games. 

“The Magic, though, are desperate for offense, potentially loaded with enough defensive talent to take on a sieve like Young and have the flexibility needed to take this financial hit,” Buckley wrote. “And if they could power-up their 22nd-ranked offense without losing any essentials—Anthony is a spark plug, Isaac is unreliable, Howard hardly played as a rookie and the picks aren’t great—this might be an offer they can’t refuse.”

Young signed a five-year, $215 million extension with the Hawks in August 2021. He’ll make $43 million next season and $45 million in 2025-26.

Young, who turns 26 in September, holds career averages of 25.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.2 blocks. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. 

Young recently left Klutch Sports Group for CAA. 

The Hawks didn’t make the 2024 playoffs. Meanwhile, the Magic lost in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

“The Hawks, meanwhile, would trim their payroll, add a pair of plug-and-play contributors (three if Howard forces his way into the rotation) and gain more trade chips to throw around should the right player become available,” Buckley wrote.