It's getting lonely on Trae Young Island. Rising sea levels are threatening my crops, all my crewmates have set sail for The Key of Jalen Johnson, and now an occupying force is trying to tell me that I'm soon to be governed by a faction of outsiders in Washington, D.C or Dallas, Texas. Scary.
That's how it feels, anyway. I still believe in Trae Young as the No. 1 option on a competitive NBA team — but the Atlanta Hawks don't seem to share that belief, and a trade feels more likely by the hour. Unfortunately for the Hawks, trading Young and not trading Young both might be raw deals at this point, leaving the team in a near-impossible situation.
What would a Young trade entail at this point? His public perception is probably as bad as its ever been, and his contract (he could opt out of a player option and become an UFA this summer) will surely scare some teams away from offering real draft assets. Thus, parting with Young right now would not likely net the Hawks anything of real value.
To trade a 4-time All-Star, face of the franchise, for what would essentially be scraps because of a (wrong) idea that he makes the team worse, probably wouldn't fare too well with Hawks fans. Basically, trading Young at this point would net the Hawks a weak return and turn away a lot of fans in the process.
Sounds bad! And here's some more bad news — not trading Young isn't the clear and obvious choice, either. That doesn't seem like the likely outcome anymore with Young and his agents working with the Hawks on a trade, but until a deal is written in stone, I believe there's always a chance for reconciliation.
Of course, no trade at all is bad because at this point, Young opting into his player option next season is highly unlikely. Weird, almost like telling an employee that you don't really want him around anymore makes them not want to be around anymore. I digress.
What should the Atlanta Hawks do with Trae Young?
Maybe I'm alone in this thinking — but I really, really think the Hawks should keep Young and add another win-now piece at the deadline. If it can't be Anthony Davis, maybe it can be Jerami Grant or Lauri Markkanen. A move like that accomplishes two things; it makes the team better right now, in a time when the East is winnable, and it shows Young this franchise still believes in him as the guy who will lead it to the promised land.
It's not foolproof, but it's the scenario with the highest potential ceiling for this team.
Just picture me standing at the entrance of a cave and screaming all of this into the darkness, because that's how it feels right now.
Even if the Hawks are better without Young (they're not) it's not like they're dominating when he's off the court. They're 15-13 when he's out of the lineup. If you want to believe that there's any chance of contention (even in a weak East) for this roster minus Trae Young, you can. You can incorrectly believe anything you want!