NBA trade proposal sends Hawks’ Trae Young to Hornets for LaMelo Ball

The Hawks have been suddenly flying without Trae Young. They’ve won seven of their past 10, sit one game out of second in the East and, maybe most surprisingly, posted a top-three defensive rating since Young went down.

That’s not a typo. Atlanta is guarding people. So the natural question becomes… what exactly does this mean for Young?

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon floated the idea on The Hoop Collective podcast, saying the Hawks may want to “see how that looks for another several weeks” before deciding anything.

But if Atlanta keeps winning without Young, you can’t rule out a major pivot. And that’s where this hypothetical NBA trade from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report comes in.

It’s simple. It’s splashy. And it’s one-for-one.

Hawks get
LaMelo Ball
Hornets get
Trae Young

Matching Trae’s $46 million salary isn’t easy, but Ball gets you close. He’s also three years younger, stands 6-foot-7 and at least provides some defensive resistance.

Offensively, both guys are wired the same way. Young is a four-time All-Star with career averages of 25 points and nine assists. Ball is at 21 and seven, respectively.

So you’re basically trading one high-usage creator for another — just with a different frame and timeline.

Of course, Atlanta would be taking on some risk. Ball has averaged only 35 games per season over the past three years. He already missed six of Charlotte’s 14 games this season.

From the Hornets’ side, Young has been far more durable (though injured at the moment). He also gives Charlotte instant pop next to the likes of Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and others.

And if the partnership fizzles, Pincus notes the Hornets would gain massive cap flexibility when Young’s deal comes off the books.

For now, this is all theory. But the Hawks are winning without Young and the chatter is heating up.

If Atlanta keeps rolling, don’t be surprised if Young starts showing up in more hypothetical swaps like this one.