After news broke that the Washington Wizards were interested in Trae Young, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype announced that three more teams have entered the Trae Young sweepstakes: the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
These three destinations are all much more logical than the previously reported Wizards, who are not actively looking to win this season.
Atlanta now has options and can negotiate accordingly
The Clippers make the most sense, as they owe the Thunder a first round pick this season. While most teams don’t factor this in their trade discussions, as this follows the sunk-cost fallacy, Los Angeles is in a unique situation – they sold the farm for Paul George in the 2019 offseason, sending a haul of assets including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and seven first round picks/swaps.
This trade is already humiliating. The Clippers peaked at the Western Conference Finals with George on the team, while Gilgeous-Alexander went on to win a ring and MVP just five years later. If LA bottoms out this season (they hold the 9th-best lottery odds, even after a miraculous 7-1 run over the past three weeks), the pain of granting the best team in the league yet another future star would make Steve Ballmer lose the little hair he has left.
The Timberwolves would be an excellent destination for Young in a vacuum, but the return package would almost certainly include Jaden McDaniels. It would be a rash decision to trade McDaniels, a beloved player and culture-setter, for Young. Still, Scotto reported the Wolves are interested, so there must be some level of interest from Minnesota. Perhaps the Hawks could assemble the league’s best perimeter defense with McDaniels, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Bucks are positioning themselves to continue building for the Giannis Antetokounmpo era. While this strategy could change, the team has consistently denied any trade rumors. If they acquired Young, suddenly the middling roster has a co-star to elevate their offense. Young’s defensive struggles are well documented, but with Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner lurking in help defense, the Bucks would be well-positioned to cover for his weakness.
Milwaukee has the 14th-best offense and the 7th-best defense in the league over the past two weeks – and this is without a real point guard. With Young’s otherworldly passing and the existing defensive foundation, the Bucks could become a real threat in the playoffs.
While none of these teams have the assets to give a truly fair return package for Young, their mere presence will help Atlanta drive up his value.