Trae Young’s top 6 trade destinations with the Hawks poised to move on

On Monday, January 5, she announced the news Trae Young’s time with the Atlanta Hawks may be coming to an end. The young man is one of the best players in the NBA, at least on the offensive end, and he had some big moments with the team that drafted him. However, the Hawks have underperformed in the years since the guard led them to the Eastern Conference Finals, largely because Young is small and weak defensively.

Even so, he could thrive in the right situation, and a new team seems inevitable. Yang and the Hawks work together to find a trade partner. The young man immediately becomes one of the top trade candidates before the NBA trade deadline, but where does it fit best?

The Miami Heat have since been looking for a third star to pair with Bama Adebayo and Tyler Herr Jimmy Butler requested a substitution out of town. Young would be great for the team. The Heat’s highest paid point guard is Terry Rozier, but he’s out due to a gambling investigation.

That left Davion Mitchell to take the vast majority of the point guard minutes. Mitchell is a suffocating defender, and his sharp style of play fits perfectly with the Heat’s culture. Young would provide the yin to Mitchell’s yang as an offensive superstar. The Eastern Conference is wide open with injuries to players like Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, so the Heat should be aggressive in improving the roster. Currently, Miami is in seventh place in their conference, but they are only three wins behind the second place Boston Celtics.

Another team that has recently lost some of its superstar talent is the Phoenix Suns. The team moved with both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in the offseason. The Suns haven’t had enough touches to go around with the two of them teaming up with Devin Booker, but now Phoenix could actually use a boost on the offensive end.

Young would bring a dose of play that is missing from this roster and also add another 3-point threat. Phoenix has exceeded expectations this year by playing with attitude and physicality. Young doesn’t necessarily fit this style of play, but he’s a competitor, and perhaps his defensive shortcomings could be masked by a solid defensive team.

Dillon Brooks is one of the most notorious players in the league. He would always have Young’s back, which is important because Young has been known to get into it with opposing players.

The The Houston Rockets had the best offseason in the NBA. They traded for Kevin Durant and Clint Capela in the biggest trade in NBA history, and signed Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie in free agency. Additionally, Houston re-signed Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday, J.Sean Tate and Jeff Green.

The team’s roster was loaded, but the point guard was viewed as perhaps the biggest weakness coming into the year. Things got worse when VanVleet tore his ACL during the training camp. The Rockets are all about winning while Durant is still playing at a high level, so they should be ready to fill VanVleet’s role, despite the fact that Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson have played well in the backcourt.

Thompson may still be best off playing these two rather than being used as the primary back, and Shepard will be in growing pains during his first year in the rotation. In the meantime, Young would work wonders as a facilitator on a high-volume team. He could dish the ball to shooters like Durant and Shepard, he could feed interior players like Alperen Sengun and Clint Capela, and slashers like Thompson would benefit from his playmaking. In addition, Young is an elite 3-point shooter, and the Rockets could use a dose of outside shooting and spacing, given that Sengun and Thompson are so good inside.

It probably should contracts from VanVleet, Adams and Tari Eason to do it, as well as a number of draft picks. The Rockets would have to be okay with losing what VanVleet can offer next year if they get a trade of Young’s caliber, and they still have plenty of draft picks to trade up. The Udoka name instills a defensive mindset that could help Young become competent on that front as well.

The number one priority for the Orlando Magic in recent years is adding a 3-point shooter. This was most evident when they traded four picks in the first round and more get Desmond Bane in the offseason. Bane helped, but the Magic are still weak as a depth team, so they shouldn’t stop adding snipers who would pair well with slashers like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Magic struggled to take the next step forward. While they would sacrifice some of the length and defense they so desire by bringing in the Hawks guard, adding Young would be more than worth it. Not only would he single-handedly solve Orlando’s 3-point problem, but his playmaking would greatly improve the offense. Jalen Suggs has been injured too often to be relied upon, and Young is young enough to be the long-term answer at point guard.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have arguably the biggest point guard need in the NBA, and the team is no stranger to trading superstars in recent years. Minnesota has reached the Western Conference finals in back-to-back seasons, but moving to the next level might be impossible with the status of the point guard on the team.

Players who have taken minutes at the position include Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Bones Hiland and Donte DiVincenzo. Conley is already far past his prime, Dillingham has yet to live up to his pre-draft hype, and DiVincenzo would be at his best at guard. Hyland has been solid of late, but even he recently had a two-way contract.

A backcourt of Young and Anthony Edwards would be quite explosive. Minnesota is also another team with enough defense to cover Young’s flaws.

1. Washington Wizards

The The Washington Wizards have already been linked as the leaders in a trade for Young. The team has been adding draft prospects for some time as part of a rebuild, but at some point they will need to make moves that will help them make the playoffs.

While some have questioned Young’s ability to play championship-level winning basketball, there is no question that he would be elevated for a bad team like the Wizards. He would help the team get better now, but he could also help develop Washington’s young talent.

Young led the league in assists per game three times, and his ability to get his teammates involved would help the youngsters get better looks.