With Tree Young’s value at an all-time low, Bill Simmons is sparking one last hope
The The Atlanta Hawks find themselves in a strange place heading into the middle of the 2025-26 NBA season.
On the one hand, they seem to have found a a new franchise player outside of the lottery in Jalen Johnsonpower forward who can shoot, score, pass and defend as a 6-foot-8 frontcourt player. They added several quality players around him, including Nikhil Alexander-Walker in free agency and Dyson Daniels via trade, and are currently in a position to play despite a 15-19 record.
And yet, before the Hawks go all-in on the Johnson era, they must turn to his old franchise player in Trae Youngwho remains in the squad despite appearing in just 10 games this season.
Should the Hawks try to trade Young? Potentially so, but that might be easier said than done, as his production is down from his 2021-25 prime. fortunately, Bill Simmons knows one NBA decision maker who could be crazy enough to make a deal: Vivek Ranadive.
“I think you could argue that Atlanta has hung on to Tree too long now and I don’t think he has trade value anymore, I just don’t. You’re basically looking at Vivek,” Simmons said. “You go around the league and you keep coming back to Vivek and you’re like, man, maybe he’s going to do it. But other than that, I just think he’s been in the league too long. I think we know what he is.”
Since his group bought the Kings in 2013, Sacramento has made some of the NBA’s biggest moves, from trading Tyrese Halliburton to trading for Zach LaVine and, well, most of the team’s draft picks over the last decade. With the Kings going nowhere fast right now, sitting at 8-24, would they be willing to deal Young and get some value back in a deal, either outright or as part of a larger deal for a player like Anthony Davis? Fans will soon find out.
2025-12-31 05:26:00
