Hawks better hope ESPN is wrong about what they can get for Trae Young

It's been a wild 24 hours in Atlanta.

Everything points toward Trae Young being in his final season in Atlanta. Whether he's dealt before the trade deadline or simply not retained in free agency remains to be seen, but the consensus is clear.

ESPN's Shams Charania had Hawks fans on the edge of their seats Monday night, as he put out a bombshell report centered around Atlanta's star guard.

According to Charania, "Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young and his agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are working with the franchise on a trade, sources tell ESPN. Young's reps and the Hawks have started collaborative talks over the last week on finding a resolution."

An eventual departure has been rumored for awhile, but Charania confirming that both sides are actively searching for a fresh start was a tough pill to swallow.

It gets even tougher with an in-depth look at Young's market. Despite his proven resume and short-term contract, not many teams are expected to get involved in talks to bring him in.

Trae Young's trade value is at an all-time low...

In ESPN's latest article, a group of NBA insiders highlighted some potential deals for Young.

There were four proposed trades, with two of them involving the Washington Wizards. Young landing in Washington seems to be the most likely of the bunch, but there are very few assets that they'll be willing to part with in order to get him.

The most amount of draft capital Atlanta is receiving in any of these mock trades is one first-round pick. One.

Of all the proposals, one that stood out as the most intriguing was a three-team deal with the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings.

In this trade, ESPN's Kevin Pelton had Atlanta sending Trae Young and a 2026 second-round pick to Washington for Malaki Branham, Devin Carter, AJ Johnson, Malik Monk, Dario Saric and a 2026 first-round pick.

CJ McCollum would be heading to the Kings, allowing them to get off plenty of long-term salary.

On paper, none of the listed players come close to replicating Young's on-court value. The reality, while unfortunate, is that this may be the best they can get.

Atlanta even netting a single first-round pick for Young would come as a surprise, which is why they should probably just wait until the offseason to further assess his future here.

Hawks fans need to prepare. If their star guard is dealt ahead of this year's trade deadline, a very underwhelming return is likely, marking a disappointing end to a legendary tenure.