1 overreaction trade The Hawks need to target after Trea Young’s injury

The Atlanta Hawks were expected to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2025-26 season. But just like any other team that needs to integrate a few new pieces, the Hawks needed time to gel. Alas, time is not a luxury for this Hawks team. They are recently lost Tree Young to a knee injury that would keep him out for at least four weeks, and that sprained MCL is not something Atlanta wants to rush him back from.

But with Young out, the Hawks weren’t able to get into any kind of situation. They fell to 4-5 on the season after losing for the second time this campaign to the Toronto Raptors as they couldn’t get anything going offensively during their NBA Cup contest on Friday night.

With Young out, the Hawks needed Jaylen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nikhil Alexander-Walker to take over the offense. The offense lasted all night; they finished the night shooting 34.4 percent as a team (23.7 percent from beyond the arc), sorely missing the pull-up threat and elite play Young provided at that point.

This roster is specifically constructed for Young to thrive; he needs versatile and tall defenders around him, which is why the Hawks brought in Alexander-Walker and Porzingis in the first place. But without Young leading this team, they look lost, with the likes of Johnson and Daniels needs to expand his games into a role for which they are not well equipped or qualified.

Will the Hawks panic? Maybe not. They will look to wait until Yang returns. Until then, they will look to survive in the weaker Eastern Conference.

There should be no panic in these Hawks. But this is one trade they should pursue if they can.

Hawks trade Keon Ellis away from Kings

Hawks trade: Whit Krejci, two second-round picks

Kings trade: Keon Ellis

It seems counterintuitive that the Hawks are targeting another player who isn’t a ball-handling shot creator and plays in Young’s mold. But those players are few and far between in today’s NBA and are not for trade. Someone like Luka Doncic or James Harden, masters of the heliocentric offense, could command this offense, as could Austin Reaves. LaMelo Ball is also someone who can thrive on this type of list.

But those players aren’t realistic trade targets, especially with Young coming back in the near future. Aside from the fact that those players aren’t exactly available on the market, getting those players would require Atlanta to overhaul their roster without even giving this current iteration of the team a chance.

The peak market is dry; Ja Morant will not be a realistic target likewise. Someone like Jordan Poole or CJ McCollum makes too much money. Poole is even injured, so it’s not like he won’t be a big help if the Hawks get him. Anfernee Simmons is also someone who may be making too much money for the Hawks’ liking.

Collin Sexton is one viable candidate, especially when the Charlotte Hornets are going to be bad again this season. But Sexton is making about $18.1 million this season, so yeah it is impossible to bring him without giving up someone like Alexander-Walker or Kennard — something the Hawks won’t want to do.

But what if instead of trying to cover what Young does, they double down on their defensive and athletic-oriented identity so they can push toward the top of the standings when their star general returns?

Enter The Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis.

Ellis, an undrafted guard out of Alabama, has proven to be one of the best lockdown defenders in the league whenever he gets minutes. He began getting minutes for the Kings near the end of the 2023-24 season, and was instrumental in their game tournament win over the Golden State Warriors during that year, as he chased the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson through screens and chased them down the road to bad shooting nights.

But since then, it has been difficult for Ellis to carve out a consistent role for himself in the Kings’ rotation. For some reason, the Kings’ head coaches (Mike Brown and Doug Christie) were hesitant to give him a starting shooting guard role, favoring the more offensive-oriented Malik Monk and Zach LaVine.

Making matters worse for Ellis is the fact that the Kings went out last offseason to sign two more guards, Dennis Schroeder and Russell Westbrook. This has further filled out the Kings’ backcourt and pushed him so far down the depth chart that he’s barely getting any minutes — he played just a handful of minutes during Sacramento’s NBA Cup loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

It doesn’t make sense for the Kings not to play Ellis when he’s exactly the kind of low-usage, defensive-minded player they need to pair with their more ball-dominant stars.

With Ellis falling out of favor with the Kings, the Hawks should swoop in and buy him some.

Ellis would form quite the defensive trio along with Alexander-Walker and Daniels, as they will help cover for Young’s deficiencies on that end of the floor. Has significant limitations in attack, but can make open shots; and is shooting over 40 percent from deep in limited minutes this season.

No Hawks fan will soon forget how Ellis hit nine 3-pointers for the Kings in a 109-108 win over Atlanta last year. He can make it rain from beyond the arc, too, and so he’ll feast often with Young feeding him and an Atlanta coaching staff entrusting him with an increased role.

Ellis doesn’t need to worry about a crowded backfield in Atlanta. They may have Young, Daniels, Alexander Walker and Kennard, but at least those players complement each other. His toes are less likely to be stepped on in Atlanta.

As for the Kings, at least they get two second-round picks for a player they clearly have no interest in playing.