Trae Young Landing Spots if Atlanta Hawks Trade Star Guard This Offseason

The Atlanta Hawks' season is over.

The question is: What's next for the Hawks heading into the 2024 offseason?

Specifically: What is the status of All-Star guard Trae Young?

The 25-year-old's contract has three years and $138 million left (the last is a player option). After a run to the 2020-21 to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks overinvested in a good but not great roster. Adding Dejounte Murray to balance some of Young's deficiencies (notably defense) hasn't been fruitful enough to justify the expense of two lead guards.

Murray was the one dangled ahead of the trade deadline, but he played himself back into the Hawks' plans. Many sources around the NBA believe Young will be on the move this summer—assuming Atlanta can find a buyer.

Not every team needs a point guard, let alone a small one (6'1", 164 pounds) at $43 million next season. Several just don't like his game.

"It's difficult to win with a player like Trae. He needs to be the best player on your team, but he's not at that top-tier level," an Eastern Conference executive said.

The Hawks bought some time getting a taker (Utah Jazz) for John Collins' contract this past offseason. But with the contracts already on the books and third-year forward Jalen Johnson due for a lucrative extension, Young's time may be nearing an end in Atlanta.

Here, we've highlighted three potential landing spots for Young this offseason. All three may have enough draft picks and/or players to entice the Hawks.

The Los Angeles Lakers explored a Murray trade before the deadline, but as D'Angelo Russell's performance improved (and Murray's), neither team could agree on player valuations.

Young brings more star power in name, though many in NBA circles prefer Murray as a player. Both are with Klutch Sports, the agency representing LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

If the Hawks decide Young is the guard to move, the Lakers are believed to be one of the teams with serious interest. Whether he's the right fit is debatable (he doesn't play well off the ball, and LeBron James usually has it in his hands to end games), but the Lakers have been known to chase players that may or may not fit (Russell Westbrook).

As James' career winds down, L.A. would try to build around the Davis/Young pairing, with Davis offsetting what Young doesn't do well on defense. This also assumes James and the Lakers recommit this summer.

A deal would have to wait until July as Los Angeles currently has a hard cap at the first apron ($172.3 million) that expires after June. It can offer up to three first-round and up to five second-round picks for Young. Along with firsts in 2029 and 2031, the Lakers could send either 2024 or 2025 (the New Orleans Pelicans have the right to either, making that decision after the lottery but before the draft). If 2024, L.A. would execute the pick in June on behalf of Atlanta, in conjunction with a pre-arranged trade.

The Lakers must send at least $43 million in outgoing salary to avoid a 2024-25 hard cap at the first apron (projected to be $178.7 million). If they're willing to be hard-capped, that outgoing amount can dip to $34.2 million, but that might be impractical if James returns in the $50 million range.

Russell ($18.7 million), who plays the same position as Young, would seem to be the apparent outgoing player in any deal (perhaps to a third team if necessary), provided he opts into the final year of his contract. Getting to Young's salary is more of a challenge without Russell. Others who might be needed (to get to $43 million) include Rui Hachimura ($17 million), Austin Reaves ($13 million), Gabe Vincent ($11 million) and Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7 million).

The NBA's new collective bargaining also generally eliminated teams' ability to throw in more than one minimum contract for salary-matching purposes during the offseason. The only other player with a non-minimum contract is Jalen Hood-Schifino ($3.9 million). The remaining players are on minimum deals, including Maxwell Lewis ($1.9 million), Christian Wood ($3 million), Jaxson Hayes ($2.5 million) and Cam Reddish ($2.5 million)—the final three have player options.

Just James (at the max near $50 million), Davis and Young would total almost $136 million. Depending on how much salary and talent L.A. gives up to get Young, fleshing out the rest of the team may be a challenge.

Getting Young to the San Antonio Spurs was explored late last month at B/R. Whether a deal includes a third team like the Chicago Bulls or gets done as a two-team deal, the Spurs have significant draft capital to offer the Hawks.

Per Howard Beck of The Ringer in February, "One exec said Atlanta discussed a potential Young trade with San Antonio before last week's deadline."

Beyond some of the Spurs' own selections (including a high lottery pick in June), San Antonio has several selections from the Hawks for Murray to give back, including firsts in 2025 and 2027 (along with swap rights in 2026). The Spurs have the Toronto Raptors (top-7 protected through 2026) and Charlotte Hornets (a top-15 protected in 2025)—both convey as a pair of seconds if protections are met. The Chicago Bulls owe San Antonio a first in 2025 (initially top-11 protected, then top-9 through 2027, else a second in 2028). The Spurs also have swap rights in 2028 with the Boston Celtics (top-1 protected), Dallas Mavericks in 2030, and plenty of second-rounders over the next eight years (approximately 18).

The market would set the amount San Antonio is willing to give up, but if the Hawks want draft compensation, the Spurs outclass most of the league in draft assets (especially the Lakers).

San Antonio can also use cap room in July to absorb Young's contract by including players such as Tre Jones ($9.1 million), Devonte' Graham ($12.7 million with $2.9 million guaranteed) and Sidy Cissoko ($1.9 million). Graham's contract wouldn't need to be guaranteed if the Spurs are using cap room, which could help Atlanta shed salary by placing him on waivers.

Other above-minimum salaries (in July, assuming Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell are off limits) include Keldon Johnson ($19 million), Zach Collins ($16.7 million), Jeremy Sochan ($5.6 million), Malaki Branham ($3.2 million), Julian Champagnie ($3 million, non-guaranteed), Blake Wesley ($2.6 million) and Charles Bassey ($2.5 million, non-guaranteed).

If the Spurs seriously want Young, they have much more to offer than the Lakers—unless the Hawks prefer some of the L.A.'s current players (Hachimura, Reaves, Russell, etc.) over straight-up draft compensation.

The Brooklyn Nets have a ton of wings and a solid big man in Nic Claxton (an unrestricted free agent) but need help at point guard. The team traded Spencer Dinwiddie's expiring contract to the Raptors (who let him go soon after) in return for Dennis Schroder, but NBA scouts generally view him as a backup.

Brooklyn can't quite compete with the Spurs regarding draft pick volume, but the Nets have more to offer than the Lakers. While the team still owes multiple first-round picks to the Houston Rockets from the James Harden trade, the Nets restocked their coffers by sending Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks. They now project to have two first-rounders in 2025, two in 2027, three in 2029 and one apiece in 2028 (TBD by protections), 2030 and 2031. Brooklyn also projects to have 10 second-rounders through 2031.

Assuming Claxton re-signs and wings Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are keepers, the Nets have a significant expiring contract to send for Young with Ben Simmons ($40.3 million). Others could include Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million), Cam Thomas ($4 million), Day'Ron Sharpe ($4 million), Noah Clowney ($3.2 million), Dariq Whitehead ($3.1 million) and Schroder ($13 million). Keita Bates-Diop ($2.7 million player option) and Jalen Wilson ($1.9 million, $75,000 guaranteed) are on minimum contracts.

The Nets also have several large trade exceptions ($20.4 million for Dinwiddie, $11.9 million for Joe Harris, $9.5 million for Royce O'Neale and $6.8 million for Patty Mills). None would help Young directly, but it could come into play in a multi-team trade and/or if the Hawks want to send out other players.

It's difficult to find teams willing to take on a player with a $43 million starting salary for 2024-25. Contenders like the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are already heavily invested at the position.

The Spurs are unique because they have a clear franchise player in Wembanyama. Still, other rebuilding teams such as the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards probably won't take on that kind of investment, even though Young will turn 26 in September.

The wild card might be the Detroit Pistons, who "Need to do something," per multiple competing executives. Young is not the kind of point guard Detroit head coach Monty Williams tends to prefer, but conflict can sometimes lead to strange results.

The Orlando Magic have taken a significant step forward this season and might need a point guard, but the franchise must consider offseason rookie-scale extensions to Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. Young would be a significant shakeup to what's already working in Orlando.

Young doesn't seem like a cultural fit for the Miami Heat. The Toronto Raptors will likely reinvest in Immanuel Quickley. The Hawks may genuinely struggle to find a wide net of suitors for their All-Star guard.

The Hawks need one team willing to give up a sufficient bounty for Young. Two or three would give them leverage for a higher price, but Young may bring back pennies on the dollar if the answer is zero to one.

If so, the list of suitors for Murray would be much longer (including the same three teams on this list). He starts at $25.5 million next season ($24.8-$26.9 million, depending on incentives) and is under contract through 2027-28 (player option on the final year). He has a 15 percent trade kicker that Atlanta would need to play at about $12 million, raising his cap hit by about $3 million for the next three years.

Atlanta could choose to keep both guards and shed salary elsewhere, like Clint Capela ($22.3-$24.3 million expiring), De'Andre Hunter ($21.7-$22.9 million next season, paid through 2026-27), Bogdan Bogdanović ($17.3 million in 2024-25 with $16 million each the next two seasons, the final year a team option) and/or Onyeka Okongwu (about to begin a four-year, $62 million extension, starting at $14 million).

As situated, the Hawks may struggle to stay under the luxury-tax threshold ($171.3 million projected), and that's not considering restricted free agent Saddiq Bey. Competing executives expect Johnson to get over $20 million a season if extended (or eventually in free agency), but that might be offset by Capela's contract expiring.

If the Hawks were one of the top teams in the East, the front office could try to find a way to keep most of the roster together. But Atlanta has underperformed beyond losing Young for about 23 games with a finger injury.

The NBA's new rules punish high-spending teams, but Atlanta did a fine job getting out of Collins last summer. Perhaps it can find a creative path that financially makes sense with Young and Murray.

However, the buzz around the NBA is that the Hawks will make more significant changes, starting with moving Young—provided there's a market for the talented, diminutive scoring point guard.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.