The Atlanta Hawks have had a relatively strong start to the 2025-26 NBA season, currently sitting at 13-9 despite the prolonged injury absence of star point guard Trae Young. Despite Young being out of the lineup since late October, Atlanta has held strong in the standings, thanks in large part to the emergence of Jalen Johnson as a bona fide star player.
With this being the case, some have speculated that Atlanta could look to move on from Young in an attempt to build a team that truly has no weak links on defense.
Recently, Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN pointed out how a draft night trade from earlier this year could make that decision easier for general manager Onsi Saleh and company.
“Multiple rival executives speculated that the Hawks would have to acquire another primary ball handler to replace Young, whether that's in a trade for him or otherwise. That solution could come at the top of what is considered a loaded 2026 draft class,” they reported, referencing a trade that Atlanta made with New Orleans on draft night.
That move, which was widely panned from the Pelicans' point of view, featured the Hawks sending their number 13 overall pick to New Orleans in exchange for both the number 23 pick and an unprotected pick swap in 2026, meaning Atlanta will have the better of the Pelicans' and Milwaukee Bucks' picks next year in what is expected to be a loaded draft class.
Currently, the Pelicans are in last place in the Western Conference, and the Bucks are freefalling in the East standings, meaning that pick could be very valuable, and potentially afford the Hawks the opportunity to draft an elite guard at that spot, which in this scenario would be Young's replacement.
However, the Hawks will certainly want to get a good look at what the team is once Young returns before they make any such decision.
