Hawks Do-Over Should Start By Moving Trae Young In Hypothetical Deal With Lakers, Insider Says

June 20, 2024

The Atlanta Hawks should start a rebuild and trade away star guard Trae Young, according to Chris Herring of ESPN.

Obviously, the Hawks have lots of options, given their position as owners of the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft. GM Landry Fields suggested they’re keeping it. That could mean trading a veteran (or three).

“The middling Hawks need to meaningfully commit to a direction. The one they should take: Embrace a youth movement and build around whoever they take with the draft’s No. 1 pick, while moving off of 25-year-old Trae Young, who’s served as the face of the franchise since 2018,” Herring wrote. “Atlanta could once again seek to engage the Lakers, who would have to part ways with picks, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and one of Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt to make the deal work.”

That actually feels like a lot to give up for the Lakers … and I’m not so sure it would move the needle for the Hawks, either. That would seemingly be a trade that keeps them “middling,” to use Herring’s word.

So if you’re the Hawks, why make a trade just for the sake of one? And why does it always have to involve the Lakers? If they were to move Young, you’d think they would be shooting for the sun, the moon and a star. That’s not what they’d be getting back in this proposed Lakers deal.

“The No. 1 pick in this draft is nothing like Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in last year’s class,” Herring concluded. “But dealing away Young and handing the reins to Dejounte Murray and whoever the Hawks take with the top pick would allow them to take on more of a defensive identity and avoid the challenges that come with building a defense around Young’s shortcomings on that end.”