What team will the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young play for next?

Having pulled off the unbelievable by securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, one could be forgiven for thinking the Hawks are in a good possession. On the other hand many experts consider the coming class to be one of the worst we’ve seen in many years.

What’s going on with Trae Young?

This past season the Atlanta Hawks finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 36-46 and with that, failed to make the playoffs. While there are many reasons why that was the case, much of the ire of fans and analysts alike seemed to center on star point guard, Trae Young. Indeed, Young’s market value even became a topic of conversation as many questioned whether the 25-year-old is as good as the hype that surrounds him.

Further to that, it’s worth noting that Young is on a max deal. Now, while some may debate whether he should be, the reality remains that he is. To that end, a trade would be tricky given the previously mentioned doubts that surround him, but not impossible. That’s where the San Antonio Spurs come in. As one of the teams that have been continually linked with Young, much has been made about the potential pairing of Victor Wembanyama and the Hawks’ point guard. Indeed, on paper, it does make sense in that Wemby would benefit immensely from Young’s playmaking, while covering for his defensive frailty.

Yet, according to a report from Yahoo Sports, the Spurs who currently hold the 4th and 8th pick in the coming Draft - a pretty good match for a trade with Atlanta - have indicated that they have “little interest” in trading for young. You can see an extract from the report below:

“San Antonio personnel would be committing front-office malpractice by not contemplating the opportunity to pair a league assist leader and high-screen maestro like Young to pair with Wembanyama. The Spurs have so far approached building around Wembanyama as an intriguing experiment, where they will weigh all different kinds of variables around their Rookie of the Year. However, according to multiple league figures with knowledge of the situation, any Spurs’ plans of maneuvering to bring Young to San Antonio have been vastly overstated. The Spurs, sources said, have expressed little interest in obtaining Young to date.”

So, where does Trae Young end up?

Though we did know this before, Yahoo’s report goes on to state that the Lakers still have Young in their sight. It’s worth noting that LA currently holds three trade-eligible first-round picks, which again would be a good match for the Hawks. On the other hand, there is the real possibility that Brandon Ingram could become available, as well as Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell whose future is now up in the air following the Cavs’ elimination from the playoffs. Should that prove to be the case with either of them, expect Young to fall down the pecking order.

As stated before, the situation is complicated. As the Hawks’ best player, Young should, in theory, fetch a decent return. The problem is, he’s held that status for quite some time and truth be told, there is nothing to show for it. Aside from the Hawks’ run to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, both the team and Young have done little to indicate that they’re on the up. Consider for a moment that the Hawks finished this most recent season with a losing record and have scraped into the Play-In Tournament for the last two seasons straight.

Ultimately, it’s unlikely that Young’s numbers will drop, but he continues to be weak on defense and has often been described as difficult to play with. While he controls the ball well, he does little when he doesn’t have it and has failed to really get going from beyond the arc. It’s with all of this in mind that one has to ask a simple question: Can Trae Young lead a team to a championship? Logic would suggest that the answer is no which is precisely why the fact that he’s paid as though he can is a problem. Quite frankly, that’s probably why the Spurs aren’t interested.