Ranking Atlanta Hawks’ top 11 trade assets heading into the offseason

1. Trae Young

While there have been some whispers (subscription required) about the Atlanta Hawks possibly trading Trae Young, I have a hard time believing that they will. If they did want to take a big swing this offseason, though, he would be the one player on this roster to demand a blockbuster-type return via trade. And despite the Hawks’ overall struggles this past season, as we saw in the playoffs, Young is still a very good player with great potential.

Young is still just 24 years old and is locked up for the foreseeable future. In what will be remembered as a “down” season for Young, he averaged 26 points and 10 assists on 43 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Do the Hawks have some “fit” issues with Young and the rest of this roster? Probably. In fact, you can make that case for every NBA team that isn’t playing basketball right now. But the Hawks have to trust Young.

There are many players on this roster that the Hawks could trade and their fanbase shouldn’t blink. But Young is not one of those players. Unless it’s for a godfather offer, Young should not be traded. He has that high of a trade value; that no matter what the return is, there’s going to be an argument about whether it was enough.