Schultz: Why Trae Young trade talk makes little sense for Hawks right now

June 25, 2024

ATLANTA — There are few subjects that unite Hawks fans who sit on opposite sides of this question: Can they win a championship with Trae Young? But there is one thing everybody agrees on: The organization has difficult decisions to make this offseason because almost every one comes with a potentially perilous downside.

The team is already over the salary cap and into the luxury tax for the 2023-24 season without even a full roster on the payroll. This likely will necessitate some level of a salary dump, and for those who believe a team can simultaneously slash payroll and get better, the Falcons are holding on Line 2. Also, nobody can be certain if the Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt will work, or if trades involving (mix, match) John Collins/Bogdan “Bad Knee” Bogdanović/De’Andre Hunter would bring anything but a thin return because of their hefty contracts, or if keeping the younger Onyeka Okongwu over veteran Clint Capela would be the right move at center.

But let’s start with Young because everything flows from him. He’s probably not going anywhere. Never say never, because this is sports, and even more importantly this is the NBA. First-round picks and players are packaged like jelly beans these days, and Young could always just say, “Get me out of here.”

I bring this up now because The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported Tuesday that the Lakers, fresh off being drop-kicked out of the playoffs by the Nuggets, “have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.”

Young, who is represented by the same agency as LeBron James, sat courtside at the Lakers’ Game 4 loss in Los Angeles. A visual is worth a thousand rumors.

The Lakers' desire for a third star is known. And while Kyrie Irving remains the preference, other options are being explored.

Los Angeles has internally discussed the possibility of acquiring Trae Young, league sources tell @jovanbuha.

More potential offseason moves:

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 23, 2023

It’s logical to assume the Lakers have had hypothetical discussions about Young or any other talented guard because they want to keep James happy and try to make another title run. It’s also logical to assume Hawks executives have periodically wondered about Young’s long-term future in Atlanta, given he clashed with his first two head coaches and periodically has shown maturity issues. (There is no anti-Young sentiment among the marketing and sales people, who look at Young the way you and I look at incoming Venmo notifications.)

But don’t expect it. First of all, the aging Lakers are so devoid of attractive tradable assets that it’s hard to imagine them putting together a trade offer attractive enough to interest the Hawks. More importantly, there are a few reasons why seriously entertaining any trade talks for Young seems less likely now than it might’ve been a few months ago when Nate McMillan was fired.

Young became a better player under Quin Snyder, even giving more effort at the defensive end. He has publicly declared admiration for the head coach, even saying after the playoff exit to the Celtics: “I mean, Quin is the future. I believe with him here this city is going to win a championship.” This is an alternate universe that Lloyd Pierce and McMillan never experienced.

Possibly Quin Snyder's greatest coaching achievement to this point with the Hawks. Or ever. https://t.co/RDD8nAubMT

— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) March 9, 2023

It’s not a guarantee the relationship won’t sour at some point. But Young appears somewhat humbled and legitimately driven to improve as a player and maybe even repair his damaged image around the NBA. His supporters often blame the media for whatever negative perceptions of Young exist, but the fact is Young was voted as the league’s most overrated player in an anonymous player poll by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins. Those were his peers weighing in, not the media. Also, when a young player sees his first two head coaches fired in a span of five seasons, it’s going to leave a mark.

But it’s equally important that Young has the skill, fearlessness and the love of center stage to dominate any game at any moment. What he did in the Hawks’ magical playoff run two years ago, when they went to the Eastern Conference finals and took the eventual champion Bucks to six games, illustrated what he’s capable of.

At the outset of the 2021 playoffs, McMillan texted Young, “You’re built for this.” He proved it.

Snyder wants to get that out of Young again. Had the final six weeks of the Hawks’ regular season and playoffs been a miserable experience for coach and player, it would be easier to imagine Atlanta seriously considering moving on from Young. But that clearly wasn’t the case. Snyder said during the playoff series against the Celtics that he and Young “have talked about this summer and connecting and getting better. Trae’s gifted and he can get better, he wants to get better and I’m going to try to help him get better.”

That doesn’t sound like a relationship on the verge of ending.

Snyder is a smart guy and an experienced head coach. He knows players and he came to Atlanta with his eyes wide-open in regard to Young. But all indications are that he wants an offseason and training camp to work with him. He wants to see if he can make it work. There are questions all over this roster, notably whether Young will play off the ball more with Murray in the backcourt. If the pairing doesn’t work, the Hawks can always deal Murray at the trade deadline before he becomes a free agent. If Snyder comes to some belief that he can’t win consistently with Young, the Hawks can always trade him after next season.

But trading Young now doesn’t make a lot of sense — even if it won’t stop the rumors.

(Photo of Trae Young celebrating a 3-pointer against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics: Jim Davis / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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