If the Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young before the deadline, it shouldn't be the only move they make, as Kristaps Porziņġis will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Rather than risk losing him for nothing (and they don't need to trade him), a trade will be necessary.
Porziņġis recently missed a few weeks due to illness, returning to the lineup on Dec. 31, shooting 6-of-12 for 16 points in 17 minutes in the win over the Timberwolves. He made his presence felt at the rim immediately. Since the start of the calendar year, he's shot 3-of-20 for a combined 13 points in two games, to go with nine rebounds (he had eight in the loss to the Knicks).
The Hawks hoped that trading for Porziņġis would mean getting the 2023-24 version of him, the one who helped the Celtics win a title, but like in his second season in Boston, he has been limited.
Atlanta didn't extend Porziņġis before the season started, an obvious outcome, opting to wait and see how the season played out. Now that we're entering the halfway mark of the regular season, it's clear that the best route for the Hawks would be a trade.
Hawks should try to trade Kristaps Porziņġis before the deadline
Nothing has changed about Porziņġis being a good fit in Atlanta, but the Hawks can't count on him to be available. That's what's most important.
Will they risk keeping him around through the end of the season, hoping that he'll be able to stay on the floor and help the Hawks climb up the standings and make a playoff run? Maybe if Young were going to stick around. Hey, that could happen, but again, the chances of that are probably higher than KP staying healthy for most of the second half of the regular season.
None of this accounts for the fact that Atlanta is regarded as the top suitor for Anthony Davis, which would mean the end of KP's time with the Hawks. It would also (or should also) mean the end of Young's time in Georgia, as there isn't a world where Atlanta should want to have both on the payroll.
If the Hawks are thinking about a Porziņġis trade (and they should be), he'd do them a favor by not dealing with any setbacks in the next few weeks leading up to the deadline. When all is said and done, the heights the Young-Porziņġis duo could've reached may exist only in your dreams.