The Atlanta Hawks are preparing for the Miami Heat in tonight’s play-in tournament; however, just one day before that contest, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer dropped a bomb that the club would explore all personnel possibilities this offseason, including trading Trae Young.
Now, I have my doubts about any scenario where the two sides part ways, but that hasn’t stopped the trade machine from kicking into overdrive. And as always, we can count on Bleacher Report to insult our intelligence. BR came up with a handful of trade package hypotheticals, and some were egregious.Â
Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick for Trae Young
or
Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and a 2027 first-round pick for Trae Young
Let’s dig into this. Essentially, the first hypothetical is building toward the future. Kyle Lowry isn’t an impact player anymore and is on an expiring contract. Duncan Robinson has an ugly contract that runs through the 2025-26 season. He does provide better perimeter shooting and playmaking than Atlanta currently has, but he’s one of the worst contracts in the league. The Heat have been trying to dump his salary for two years. The Hawks should get multiple first-round selections just for doing Miami a favor and eating the salaries of Lowry and Robinson in this hypothetical.
Are we trading a superstar in Trae Young for a ‘meh’ shooter and two first-round picks? That doesn’t even start the conversation. I would have some choice words for Pat Riley if he came to my phone with that offer. The second package is a little more palatable but still is nowhere close to what it would take to pry Ice Trae out of Atlanta.
Just think about the trade packages that the Utah Jazz received for Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell:
Cavaliers receive:
- Donovan Mitchell
Jazz receive:
- Collin Sexton
- Lauri Markkanen
- Ochai Agbaji
- 2025 first-round pick
- 2026 pick swap
- 2027 first-round pick
- 2028 pick swap
- 2029 first-round pick
Timberwolves receive:
- Rudy Gobert
Jazz receive:
- Malik Beasley
- Patrick Beverley
- Leandro Bolmaro
- Walker Kessler (No. 22 pick in 2022 Draft)
- Jarred Vanderbilt
- 2023 first-round pick
- 2025 first-round pick
- 2026 pick swap
- 2027 first-round pick
- 2029 first-round pick
Now, the Timberwolves obviously overpaid for Gobert; I have no idea what that franchise is doing, but the Cavs are likely happy with their haul, even if the Jazz are equally happy with the combination of Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and picks. Nevertheless, the fact that Trae Young is being mentioned in trades with Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and two first-rounders is absolutely sinful. The Hawks would need a king’s ransom to part ways with the club’s centerpiece, and whoever wrote this piece should never be allowed to talk about the NBA again.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswirev
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