Trade Proposal Sends Trae Young To Nets, Ben Simmons And Draft Picks To Hawks

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

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

The trade: The Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young to the Brooklyn Nets 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)

The Hawks, who have the first overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, are expected to consider trading Young this offseason.

“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 wrote. “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.

“The Hawks, meanwhile, could consider taking a blowtorch to their roster and resetting around Jalen Johnson, the No. 1 pick and whichever 2025 draft prospect they could tank their way to adding (if they can reacquire their pick from the San Antonio Spurs). Simmons is an unreliable as they come, and Whitehead feels like a long-shot mystery box, but getting three first-round picks for Young would be big given his one-way play style and colossal contract.”

One of the top scorers and passers in the NBA, Young averaged 25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists in 2023-24 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. 

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 left Klutch Sports Group for CAA. 

Simmons signed a five-year, $177 million extension with the Philadelphia 76ers in July 2019. He’s only played in 172 games with the Sixers and Nets since signing that deal.

The Nets acquired Simmons from the Sixers in the James Harden trade in February 2022. Simmons has played in just 57 games with Brooklyn. 

Simmons appeared in only 15 games in 2023-24. He averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 58.1% from the field and 40.0% from the free-throw line. 

Simmons was the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He’s made three All-Star teams, two All-Defensive teams and one All-NBA team. 

Simmons has career averages of 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks. He’ll make $40.3 million in 2024-25.