What are the Atlanta Hawks going to do at the 2024 NBA trade deadline? This was one of the burning questions everyone was searching for an answer to, with key talents such as Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Clint Capela on the trade block. Ultimately, the Hawks didn't make any big moves to cut costs. Trae Young and this roster now have 29 games left to prove that they belong in the playoffs. Otherwise, the idea of the All-Star guard being moved to the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs in the offseason will gain even more momentum.
Wait a second, why would the Hawks trade Young, the face of their franchise, when they were just engaged in trade conversations with Murray?
Atlanta finds itself at a crossroads with really no future plan enacted. When they initially traded for Murray following his All-Star season with the Spurs, the Hawks envisioned themselves as a young, dynamic squad that could really use their athleticism to their advantage. Since acquiring Murray ahead of the 2022-23 season, this franchise has posted a 65-71 record.
With all the new rules coming into play regarding cap space and taxes, the Hawks are an organization that doesn't want to be tied down to long-term costs. Another losing season, or one in which they don't make the playoffs, is going to result in major decisions being made.
Can the Hawks win with Trae Young as their focal point? Will his value ever be higher than it's going to be in the offseason?
These are two main questions Atlanta faces regarding their All-Star guard, which is why there appears to be chatter around the league surrounding Young's future with the Hawks.
The Lakers and Spurs are the two most prominent teams mentioned in rumors surrounding Young. While they have not made a firm decision on what the future of their franchise looks like, as the rest of the season will factor into their decisions in the summer, the Hawks have left rival front offices thinking that they could hit the reset button, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
Los Angeles has LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the illustrious history that comes with dawning the purple and gold. San Antonio has a rich tradition of winning and a young core, highlighted by rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Both organizations may very well be hunting for an All-Star in the offseason. If Young becomes available, he would be the ideal fit for these two Western Conference franchises. Here is a look at how the pursuit of Trae Young could look from the Lakers' and Spurs' perspectives.
How Lakers can trade for Trae Young
No matter if it is Trae Young or another All-Star that becomes available, the Lakers are going to be mentioned as a team vying for their services. This has seemed to become the new normal in the offseason pertaining to Los Angeles and their hunt to win another championship with the pairing of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
However, there are so many uncertainties surrounding this franchise right now, especially pertaining to LeBron's future in Hollywood. It is no secret that the first ballot Hall of Famer wanted the Lakers to make a move at the trade deadline to upgrade this team's immediate potential.
Yet general manager Rob Pelinka and this front office did not pull the trigger on any moves, despite being linked to Murray with a known offer of D'Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and draft compensation out there. James has also made it publicly known for years that he intends to play with his son, Bronny, if he is to be drafted.
This upcoming offseason, LeBron owns a $51.4 million player option. Anyone around the league would be foolish to decline this kind of money except James, who is well-equipped with his various business ventures and endorsement deals.
There is certainly a path presenting itself for the summer where the Lakers star opts out of his contract, becomes a free agent, and accepts significantly less money in order to go to whichever team picks up his son. This is assuming Bronny enters the 2024 NBA Draft and is indeed selected by another team outside of Los Angeles.
As things stand right now, this is not a scenario the Lakers are focused on, as winning with LeBron and continuing to try and maximize his value is their only concern. Potentially shifting their focus from Murray to Young in the offseason is a very believable scenario at this juncture. Then again, how the remainder of this season plays out for Los Angeles and how certain secondary pieces such as Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Russell perform will impact the organization's potential for years to come.
Simply looking at the Lakers' numbers, they are limited in terms of their approach to a potential All-Star addition in the summer. Assuming James is staying and opting into the final year of his contract, this team will be on the books for roughly $178 million.
That includes the player options of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, and Russell. Taurean Prince will be a free agent, and Max Christie will be a restricted free agent as well. The arrival of an All-Star such as Young on a major contract would make keeping Prince or Christie for more than the minimum extremely hard.
A trade itself for Young would also be tough for the Lakers to figure out, even if the Hawks are open to dealing him and the star point guard has the Lakers high on his list of preferred destinations. Well ahead of the trade deadline, the Lakers held discussions with the Hawks on a deal involving Murray.
These trade talks fell apart rather quickly when Atlanta made it clear they had no intentions of taking back Russell in a trade. The same circumstances will likely exist heading into the offseason regarding how the Hawks view Russell and what his expiring contract will be.
Would the Lakers be able to find a third team to take on D'Angelo Russell's contract to help facilitate a trade for Trae Young? There is also the question of what else it would take to make this kind of upgrade, as Russell's $18.6 million cap hit does not equate to Young's $43 million contract for the 2024-25 season.
The thing with Young is that he makes $43 million next season and sees the value of his deal increase by close to $3 million each year through the 2026-27 season. The Lakers would run into the same future problems that presented themselves when Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine was first mentioned as a possible trade candidate for them this year.
Financially, the Lakers would need to give up some combination of Russell and Hachimura, who combine to make roughly $35.7 million during the 2024-25 season. This presents an easier path to coming up with the other $6 million to $9 million needed in a trade for Young.
As far as draft picks go, the Lakers will have access to either their 2024 or 2025 first-round pick, whichever the New Orleans Pelicans decide to take, their 2029 first-round pick, and their 2031 first-round pick, which will be eligible to be traded come time for the offseason.
The key aspect of any trade that the Lakers could potentially make is that Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss, and everyone in the organization believe Austin Reaves is a star in the making. They have not shown a willingness to discuss his availability in any trade to this point. But would Los Angeles be willing to sacrifice him as the focal point of a trade package with draft picks to land an established star like Young, who is only 25 years old ? It is no secret that the Hawks hold an interest in Reaves.
The Lakers' chances of landing Trae Young in the offseason will come down to two things: LeBron's future and the franchise's belief in Reaves.
How Spurs can trade for Trae Young
Compared to the Lakers, the Spurs actually have a much better chance at pulling off a trade for Trae Young given all the assets that they own. The first thing you think of when you look at San Antonio's roster is the fact that they have a lot of youthful players with potential for growth, an immediate upgrade in terms of value the Hawks could add compared to receiving veterans and draft picks that are well down the line from the Lakers.
Outside of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Tre Jones, Malaki Branham, and Sidy Cissoko as youthful trade assets. Vassell likely isn't going anywhere, and it is hard to imagine that the franchise would look to move Sochan, who has been a really solid two-way player for them through his first two seasons. What the Spurs would be willing to trade for a player like Young is unknown at this time, but Johnson is a very intriguing player to consider here.
After a 2022-23 season that saw him record career highs in points (22.0), assists (2.9), and made shots (503), Johnson has seen his role decrease drastically with the arrival of Wembanyama. In fact, the 24-year-old is now coming off the bench for San Antonio despite being their best offensive weapon just one year ago. Fresh into a new contract that depreciates in value from $20 million to $19 million for the 2024-25 season, as well as down to $17.5 million the next two seasons after, Johnson is certainly a player who many teams around this league would be interested in.
From the Hawks' perspective, he would be a good asset to take back for various reasons. In addition to having the ability to play anywhere on the court, Johnson is a player who could wind up taking over for De'Andre Hunter if the Hawks look to move him.
The same can be said regarding Saddiq Bey, who is in the final year of his contract. The fact of the matter is that the Hawks are not looking to tie themselves down to high-paying, long-term contracts right now.
While he is under contract through the 2026-27 season, Johnson's deal is low and appealing enough to be of interest to this franchise. Murray is also really good friends with Johnson, dating back to their time spent with one another in San Antonio.
Another piece of the puzzle in this potential trade would be Jones, who is beginning to show his potential as a lead point guard for the Spurs. If they were to land Young from the Hawks, the Spurs would have no real need to keep the 24-year-old guard, especially since he would be in the final year of his contract.
Devonte' Graham will also be entering the offseason with his $12.6 million contract being partially guaranteed. That could be an instant source of freeing up cap space for either team in this transaction.
For Young, the Lakers have the ability to offer up draft picks in either 2024 or 2025, 2029, or 2031 come the offseason. The Spurs, on the other hand, have a variety of draft assets they could send to Atlanta for Trae Young, including the Hawks' own picks that were initially dealt for Dejounte Murray in 2022.
In addition to their own pick this season, San Antonio also owns the Toronto Raptors' 2024 first-round pick with top-six protections. They also own the Charlotte Hornets' 2024 first-round pick, but that is top 14 protected this year. As a result, Charlotte's pick is set to turn into second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
The Spurs then own three first-round picks in 2025, a swap with the Hawks in 2026, and two picks in 2027. It is certainly possible that the Spurs could look to deal all of the Hawks' picks back to them in a potential package for Young, which would be the perfect scenario for San Antonio since they would retain all of their own draft assets to continue building around their stars.
The framework of a deal involving Johnson, Jones, Graham, and the Hawks' two first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 is what the Spurs would likely look to deal with here. They could also give Atlanta the option to swap 2026 first-round picks instead of the other way around like it currently is. And it is possible the Spurs sweeten the deal with the inclusion of one of their own first-round picks down the lines in 2028, 2029, or 2030.
Out of all the places Trae Young could go, the Spurs make the most sense. The pairing of Wembanyama and Young would be extremely hard to defend, and getting a true All-Star point guard could be the final step San Antonio needs to make in order to become relevant again in the Western Conference.
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