After winning the 2024 NBA Draft pick, the Hawks must consider trading Trae Young, and giving the Lakers a bargain is a good option.
The Atlanta Hawks had their most disappointing 2023-24 season in the NBA, finishing with a 36-46 record and being defeated by the Chicago Bulls as the No. 10 seed in the play-offs.
But Atalanta may be on the verge of a new era, with the Hawks relying on a miraculous lucky pick to pick the first pick after Sunday's NBA Draft lottery local time. It's a big offseason for the Hawks, and they should consider trading Trae Young.
Since picking Trae Young with the fifth overall pick in 2018, he has become a core player for the Hawks. After a surprise sprint to the 2021 playoffs, the Hawks have been in a slump for the past three seasons.
While they managed to drag the Boston Celtics into the first round of six games last season, they regressed last season.
One of the main issues surrounding Atlanta over the past few seasons has been the combination of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, a duo that should form an All-Star backcourt and help the Hawks rush to the top of the Eastern Conference.
However, that didn't happen, and there are rumors that Atalanta are seriously considering a move from one of the sides this offseason, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"They had Dejounte Murray deal talks. I think the possibility of trade talks, including Trae Young, is very real this spring and summer," Wojnarowski said.
"But the Eagles' current No. 1 pick gives them a chance to bring in an impactful player if they decide to get younger and start rebuilding the team."
The Hawks should trade Trae Young this offseason, and in addition to trading the No. 1 draft pick to an influential veteran, the Hawks' first priority this offseason should be to trade Trae Young.
That's not to say that Young isn't a cornerstone of a team or that there's anything wrong with him. In fact, quite the opposite, it's better to let him look for a victory elsewhere as he rebuilds in Atlanta.
After the season, Young made it clear that he was reluctant to be part of a rebuild and wanted to be part of a team whose priority was to win immediately. That may have been the Hawks' thoughts before the draft pick, but now that those plans should have shifted, Atlanta shouldn't have tried to move the No. 1 pick to appease Young.
There could be some teams, notably the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, that could be potential trade partners for Young.
The Lakers are the team that has been linked with Young over the past year, and with LeBron James and Anthony Davis getting older, Los Angeles are clearly a team interested in challenging for a championship. One of the main issues they faced in their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets was the lack of consistent scoring around James and Davis.
That's where Young can play, he's someone who other teams have to defend and he's a top playmaker. He can take the ball off James' ball control and playmaking pressure. The question is what package the Lakers will trade and which players the Hawks will want to get.
First of all, Austin Reeves would be a good choice. He signed a contract that would benefit the team and still has some potential. In a younger, rebuilding team, he can be allowed to continue to grow and can pair well with Dejounte Murray, who is more inclined to score.
The Lakers will almost certainly include Hachimura to meet the needs of the salary. But the Hawks can take on the young duo of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis in the long run, plus some draft picks (the Lakers are expected to have the 17th pick in this draft and could provide some future picks).
One thing to say, the Hawks have signed the top pick, do you want Trae Young to do it?
Take the opportunity to give the Lakers a low price and let the Lakers form a Big 3 to win the championship.
As for what a trade with the Spurs would look like, Keldon Johnson would have to be included to match the salary. But after that, San Antonio has some young players who could appeal to the Eagles.
The Spurs may not want to give up Devin Vassell, but players like Malach Branham, Blake Wesley and maybe even Tre Jones are all players the Hawks should be interested in.
San Antonio also has two top-10 picks (4th and 8th) in the upcoming draft, which could be used as a major trade offer. The Spurs may not want to include those two draft picks in their trade offer for Trae Young, but the Hawks will be looking for a lucrative trade to trigger the trade.
Compared to the Spurs, the Hawks should trade with the Lakers.