The Atlanta Hawks should trade Trae Young for Anthony Davis, solving two problems at once. One, they wouldn’t have to deal with having to extend Young this summer. And two, they would have a much higher ceiling as a potential Finals team coming out of the Eastern Conference.
At his best, Davis is a better player than Young. Plus, having him in the lineup instead of Young ensures that the Hawks can have an elite defensive group on the floor at all times. With Young in the rotation, they are almost guaranteed to have some tough defensive lineups on the court.
This could be a win-win for both sides.
Hawks should trade Trae Young for Anthony Davis
Marcus Fitzgerald brought up the idea on a recent episode of Basketball Central, noting that it could be a decent idea for both sides to consider, though the Dallas Mavericks may be less interested.
If the Mavs don’t see Young as an ideal fit next to Cooper Flagg in the long haul, then they should prioritize trading Davis for picks and young players, if possible.
That said, the Hawks flipping Young for Davis, though it sounds crazy, could be a great way for them to end the Young era in Atlanta while simultaneously giving themselves a chance to make the Finals this year.
A one-for-one swap would work. Perhaps the Mavs would want Atlanta to include a first, but given how many they have at their disposal, the deal could still be worth the risk for the Hawks.
They could roll out a starting lineup of Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, and Anthony Davis.
That would give them an absolutely monster lineup in terms of size. It would have the potential to be one of the best defensive units in the league, especially if they wanted to swap out pieces with guys like Zaccharie Risacher or Onyeka Okongwu.
This deal would give Quin Snyder a ton of flexibility on both ends of the court, and Johnson would be able to continue growing as one of the best young stars in the NBA.
Davis would remain under contract in Atlanta for a couple of seasons, and if it doesn’t work out, then they can let him walk and continue building around the rest of their core.
But if he looks good and the Hawks begin to flow, then perhaps they could work out a new deal with him.
Regardless, this deal could solve the Hawks’ Young problem while also (potentially) propelling them into the title chase.