After the disastrous failure of the 2023-24 season, the Atlanta Hawks need to consider the best trading plan of Trey Young.
Since the Atlanta Hawks became the fifth seed of the Eastern Conference three years ago and reached the Eastern Conference finals all the way, which caused a lot of trouble for the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the championship, people began to look forward to their performance.
At that time, the catalyst for all this was Trey Young. In the 18 playoff games of Atlanta, Yang became the second player in NBA history who averaged at least 28 points and 9 assists in at least 15 playoff games. He joined this extremely short list, second only to LeBron James.
However, the expectation that the Hawks would frequently participate in the eastern finals within the league did not come true.
Since then, the Hawks have recorded 120-126 in the regular season. During that time, they have won only three playoff games in total. Trey Young has rich statistical data in his NBA career, averaging 25.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game. However, it is generally believed that this short point guard may not be the key figure that we thought could lead the team to victory.
After ending the 2023-24 season, the first time since the 2019-20 season that failed to enter the playoffs, the Hawks are now facing a major decision in this off-season. The arrival of Dijont Murray two years ago should be the next stage in the development of Atlanta Hawks. However, Murray/Yang's partnership has been in a downturn, and the Hawks have been forced into a corner, and trading one of the two seems to be their best choice.
The Hawks paid a huge price for the introduction of Murray, but his transaction value has depreciated.
This makes Atlanta face a difficult question: Is it time to trade Trey Young?
I'm not sure whether Atlanta will trade Yang in the offseason of 2024, but compared with a year ago, this possibility is more realistic. In that case, it is time to look at the four potential deals that the Hawks may be offered to trade their All Star point guards.
Transaction plan 1: San Antonio Spurs
To San Antonio: Trey Young
To Atlanta: Kelton Johnson, Dwight Graham, Atlanta's first round draft in 2025, Atlanta's first round draft in 2027
No matter what action the San Antonio Spurs take during the offseason, they will be closely watched, thanks to their 7-foot-and-a-half alien who is conquering the NBA with amazing performance. From the offensive side, if Victor Wenbanyama/Trey Yang's partnership will be dazzling, Yang will throw countless layups to Wenbanyama every game. With Wenbanyama protecting the basket behind Yang, Yang's defensive limitations may not be so serious. As time goes by, Victor Venbanyama will become the top five defensive players in the league, no matter who you put beside him.
For Atlanta, the idea of retaining their first round draft rights in 2025 and 2027 is exciting. These draft rights were sent to San Antonio in the transaction of Dijont Murray. In addition, Atlanta can also consider taking Dwight Graham's contract of arrival to see how Kelton Johnson can develop. Johnson averaged 22 points and hit 45% of the field in the Spurs last season. He was one of the most affected players, including Wenbanyama.
But the only problem is that earlier this week, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express shared his views on social media, saying: "There are many different possibilities in this matter. They may target different star players, but they will not be the team that meets Atlanta's demand for Trey Young."
Transaction plan 2: Los Angeles Lakers
To Los Angeles: Trey Young
To Atlanta: Daliu Russell, Ba Cun Zhuang Shi, Jaren Hood Shifino, 2029 first round draft right, 2030 draft right exchange right, 2031 first round draft right
As always, the Los Angeles Lakers will at least theoretically participate in any trade available to almost star players, and Trey Young is one of such players. Even before LeBron James joined the Lakers in 2018, the Los Angeles team often tried to participate in these trade negotiations. Since then, this situation has intensified.
Since LeBron will no longer be bound by the contract after the end of this season, the Lakers may be forced to adopt such a winning strategy to ensure that the 22-year-old veteran stays in Los Angeles.
Daliu Russell's contract will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season, and the contract of Jaren Hood Shifino will also expire at the same time. Therefore, the only long-term contract player that the Hawks need to undertake will be Shizuo Babura. His three-year contract of 51 million dollars is to match the salary of this transaction. The draft right that the Lakers will give up will be the biggest gain for the Hawks.
By 2029, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will probably not be in Los Angeles - or the entire NBA - so who knows what the Lakers' lineup will look like then.
Deal 3: New Orleans Pelicans
To New Orleans: Trey Young
To Atlanta: CJ McCullham, the first 10 draft picks in 2024, the first round draft picks in 2027
The New Orleans Pelicans are a crazy choice, depending on the result of their play off against Sacramento Kings. They may eventually become the potential trading partner of Trey Young, or any other player in the league.
Since Zion Williamson's arrival, the New Orleans Pelicans have never met those expectations. At some point, the Pelican team must consider moving some chips to the center of the table and take some measures to promote the development of things. Maybe Trey Young will become the key person to promote the development of the Pelican team.
CJ McCullem will expire in the 2025-26 season. He is a contract. Other competitors will be eager to bring him in at the end of the season if Atlanta wants to trade him. But before that, he should be able to play with Dijont Murray to bring the Hawks a moderately eye-catching backcourt combination.
Transaction plan 4: Brooklyn Basketball Nets
To Brooklyn: Trey Young
To Atlanta: Ben Simmons, Kam Thomas, Darren Sharp, the first eight of Philadelphia in 2027, and Phoenix in 2029
If the Nets choose to exercise the team option of Kam Thomas ($4 million) and Darren Sharp ($3.9 million) for the 2024-25 season, this transaction is financially feasible. To be honest, if I want to guess where Trey Young will eventually go (if he is traded), Brooklyn may be my prediction.
The Nets need a star, and someone may be able to attract some attention from the New York Knicks. Because of Atlanta's performance in the 2021 playoffs, Trey Young has become the villain in the eyes of Knicks fans, so seeing him play four games every year will be an attractive basketball feast.
The transaction value of Ben Simmons may have reached the lowest point in history, but his big contract will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season, and only if Simmons participates in this transaction will the financial realization of this transaction be realized.
Kam Thomas and Darren Sharp are young players. The Hawks can choose to sign long-term contracts with them, especially Thomas. Considering his excellent scoring ability, he is particularly eye-catching. The Phoenix team's first round draft in 2029 may prove to be a very successful choice in the future.
