Trae Young is “working with the franchise on a trade,” sources tell Shams Charania. This marks the first credible report of Young’s career that indicates he is indeed looking for a way out of Atlanta.
Just minutes before Charania’s intel was released, Marc Stein reported that the Wizards have emerged as a “legitimate potential trade destination” for Young. The two reports poured fuel on the previously smoldering trade rumors, immediately igniting an inferno from NBA analysts and Atlanta Hawks fans.
It is unclear what changed to prompt this “collaborative” effort between Young and the Hawks, but one could safely assume the two parties remain at odds over their contract situation.
Perhaps the former Oklahoma Sooner sees the writing on the wall – Jalen Johnson is already a better player than Young, and the front office views Johnson as the centerpiece of this team. If Young wants a big payday in 2027, he’ll have to find a new situation where he has the room to flourish.
Young will be traded for pennies on the dollar
It makes sense to trade Trae if he is not going to remain a Hawk. At the very least, the Hawks can recover some value in a deal rather than truly losing him for nothing. A last-minute trade, however, is the second-worst option. Atlanta simply holds no leverage in trade negotiations, and Young’s trade value is at an all-time low.
De’Aaron Fox is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Fox is a former All-NBA member who won Clutch Player of the Year in 2023-24. By any measure, he was an outstanding player who could elevate many teams.
If you only looked at the trade package for Fox, however, you would think he was worse than Desmond Bane – the Kings received just Zach LaVine and two first round picks (2027 SAS and 2031 MIN. Technically, three picks were traded, but the 2025 Hornets pick was lottery protected, and it was widely understood this pick would not convey given the season the Hornets were leading.)
While Zach LaVine is perhaps the most fun player to watch in basketball, he has never been a winning player. He is an incredibly talented scorer, but his weakness in every other area makes it impossible to build a winning team around him. The Spurs pick will be a late first, barring catastrophic developments to their young core, while the Timberwolves pick could be intriguing if Anthony Edwards ever leaves the team. It is unlikely, however, that either of these franchises collapse by the time Sacramento gets to use their pick.
The league values Young much lower than Fox, however, which means Atlanta won’t even return a measly three picks and a bad player. Instead, the most likely outcome I see is one top-8 pick and a player who is overpaid but on an expiring deal (i.e., CJ McCollum).