The calendar has turned to June and the NBA offseason rumor mill is going to be in full force leading up to a huge offseason in the league. The Atlanta Hawks are going to be an interesting team to follow this off-season for a number of reasons. The likely breakup of the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt, who the Hawks select with the No. 1 pick, and the futures of players such as Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and others are all going to be at the forefront of a critical offseason for the Atlanta Hawks franchise.
There might not be a player that is mentioned more in trade rumors this summer than Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young. It is still up for debate whether or not Young is actually going to be traded, but if he is made available, there are going to be a number of teams interested, including the Los Angeles Lakers. The rumors of the Lakers being interested in acquiring Young have been going on for some time and in a proposed three-team deal from Andy Bailey at Bleacher Report, the Lakers get Young in a massive deal that involves the Raptors as well.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Trae Young and Kelly Olynyk
"Los Angeles Lakers Lose: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2028 first-round pick swap, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick swap, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick (via Clippers)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen McDaniels, a 2028 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles, a 2029 first-round pick from Los Angeles and a 2031 first-round pick from Los Angeles
Atlanta Hawks Lose: Trae Young and Garrison Matthews
Toronto Raptors Receive: D'Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Garrison Mathews, a 2030 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles and a 2025 second-round pick from Los Angeles (via Clippers)
Toronto Raptors Lose: Kelly Olynyk and Jalen McDaniels
As always, feel free to pick at some of the particulars. You may have an issue with a pick or young player here or there, but the general framework and ideas make sense for all three organizations."
Before diving deeper into this, it should be noted that the Hawks have not made Young available for trade and Young has not asked to be traded. This is all just speculation and I still think Young will remain in Atlanta when all is said and done this summer. It seems that Atlanta is heading towards breaking up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray, but that could mean that Murray is the one who is traded. Atlanta was shopping Murray this season, including to the Lakers. There have been numerous reports from "Rival Executives" about the Hawks possibly trading Trae Young, but nothing from Young or the Hawks themselves.
If Atlanta does make Young available, there will be more teams than the Lakers that will try to trade for Young. I think other teams can also offer a lot more for Young than the Lakers can.
Assuming that the Hawks still want to keep Dejounte Murray in this scenario they trade him, does this really make the Hawks much better and get them closer to playoff contention? I don't think so. Reaves, Hachimura and Vanderbilt are all nice players, but none move the needle in a trade for an All-NBA level player like Young. The picks help Atlanta a bit, but with Young on the team, the Lakers should be competing for playoff spots still, even when LeBron James and Anthony Davis are no longer on the team. I also don't really see why the Raptors would do this trade either. Unless Young tries to force his way to the Lakers, I don't think a trade package from Los Angeles works for Atlanta.
When looking at a potential trade, it is hard to get fired up if you are the Hawks about what the Lakers could offer outside of some draft picks. Austin Reaves is an intriguing player, but should not be the centerpiece of a deal for a player the caliber of Trae Young. I don't think this is the kind of trade that the Hawks should make. The picks are too far in the future and with Young on the Lakers, he at least gives them a high floor where they won't be among the worst teams in the league, making those picks less valuable. Reaves and Hachimura would just be role players alongside Murray and whoever the Hawks select at No. 1.
On ESPN's Get Up after the Lakers went down in the playoffs, ESPN's Brian Windhorst brought up Young as a trade target for the Lakers this offseason.
"There are opportunities for them, not necessarily in free agency, but via trade. They will have up to three first round picks that they can trade, starting on draft night, including this years first round pick if they want to and they have some pieces on their roster that they can use in trade. Now, what player would that be? Well, we will have to see what happens with star players as the season ends across the league. I think one name that you will hear as we get into this is Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks may look to break up their backcourt of Young and Dejounte Murray. The Lakers were interested in trading for Dejounte Murray during this season. Trae is the type of player that multiple teams will have interest in if the Hawks decide to make a move. I am not sure that he solves a lot of what the Lakers ills were, perimeter defense was an issue for the Lakers this season and in this series, that is something that Trae is not going to help with, but he is definitely a guy that will super charge your offense and he would look potentially amazing next to LeBron and AD, but there are other options and things that will develop over the next two months."
This summer is shaping up to be a potentially wild one in the NBA and the Hawks might be at the center of it no matter who they decide to trade.
Buckle up for the rumor mill this summer.
