The Atlanta Hawks’ push for the postseason only serves as a fuse that leads to the front office’s looming decision on four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young. Between those two points lies speculation, and a new trade scenario underscores that.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley suggested a swap, with the Hawks trading Young to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In return, the Hawks would acquire two-time All-Star Ja Morant.
“They haven’t won a playoff series since crashing the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. They could sense things are growing stale with Young, whom they’ve tasked with the lowest usage percentage since his rookie season,” Buckley wrote on April 7. “A healthy Morant can be a game-changer, and he’s never had as much turnover trouble or as many defensive shortcomings as Young.”
The Hawks are 134-142 with Young in the lineup since that run to the ECF, and they are 23-25 in that same span without him. Young leads the NBA in turnovers – both total and per game – since entering the league.
He ranks 12th in points per game, 28th in win shares, 112th in three-point efficiency, 114th in true shooting, and 188th in effective field goal percentage in that span, per Stathead.
Morant is fifth in TOs, 15th in PPG, 168th on 3P%, 163rd in TS%, and 179th in eFG% since ‘21.
The Grizzlies are 111-63 with Morant and 69-81 without. He is in Year 2 of a five-year, $197.2 million contract. Young is in Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million pact and, unlike Morant, has a player option for the final season. But finances only tell part of the story.
For one, an argument can and should be made for the types of teams both organizations have put around their slight-framed guards.
To that end, Young’s lightened workload this season is by design.
Trae Young's usage fueling Hawks trade speculation
The Hawks went back to a similar formula to the one that got them to the ECF in 2021, surrounding Young with lengthy defenders. Of course, the Hawks finished fifth in the Eastern Conference standings that season.
They can do no better than No. 7 this season, with a Play-In Tournament berth their only path to the actual postseason, i.e., the playoffs.
None of this addresses Morant’s off-court issues, which have impacted his availability.
Young has been durable and a model citizen. That is not to say Morant does not give back, only that the Hawks have not had to navigate the polarizing issues with Young that the Grizzlies have with Morant, who is less than one year younger than his counterpart.
“If Memphis' late-season swoon leads to an early exit, maybe the same front office that fired its coach in the heat of a playoff race would consider swapping star guards with another stalled franchise,” Buckley wrote, arguing why Morant could get traded to Atlanta. “The Grizzlies would obviously prefer Young's durability, but they might also view his top-shelf table-setting and deep shooting range as on-court upgrades over Morant's downhill attacking.”
Buckley’s argument serves a dual purpose, both stating why the Grizzlies might consider moving Morant, but also highlighting why the Hawks might want to keep Young instead.
Losing Young’s range is also risky, especially with Morant’s shortcomings (31.5% career 3P).
Grade – C: This trade does not move the needle enough for the Hawks, who would inherit a new set of concerns with Morant than what they face with Young.