After a tumultuous and injury-filled start to his eighth NBA season with the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young is ready for a change of scenery, and he is expected to be moved before the 2026 NBA trade deadline, according to recent reports from ESPN’s Marc Spears and Shams Charania.
Along with not receiving an extension over the summer, the relationship between Young and the Hawks has deteriorated over the last few months, culminating in the report that he and his representation are working with the franchise to be traded.
While recent rumors indicate Young has a relatively low trade value around the league, a few teams have immediately stood out as potential trade suitors to land Atlanta’s franchise point guard.
At the same time, the Hawks have reportedly expressed interest in Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks. The team doesn’t have interest in Young themselves, considering they have Kyrie Irving in that same position, but that doesn’t mean the two teams could work together to both get what they want before the trade deadline, which happens to be less than a month away.
Trae Young Trade Idea Sees Hawks Land Anthony Davis
Writing for The Athletic, Sam Vecenie outlined a few potential trade ideas that would see Atlanta cut ties with their point guard, who led them to their deepest playoff run in the last decade. At this point, the relationship doesn’t seem fixable, and after the reports by Spears and Charania, all indications point to the Hawks dumping his contract in hopes of moving forward with new star Jalen Johnson, potentially Davis, and whoever else they can get back for Young.
Here’s a trade idea Vecenie discussed:
Washington Wizards receive: Trae Young
Hawks receive: Anthony Davis, Dwight Powell
Dallas Mavericks receive: C.J. McCollum, Zaccharie Risacher, Corey Kispert, and a 2032 unprotected Hawks first-round pick
“On the plus side, Davis would transform the Hawks’ defense. It’s hard to imagine a better dual-big combination than Davis and Porziņģis,” Vecenie wrote on this trade idea. “The Hawks would have lineup flexibility that would allow them to maintain high-level defensive play. Such a back line on defense would also weaponize Dyson Daniels even more on the perimeter to gamble with his disruption on ballhandlers, knowing that he has a real presence behind him.”
Atlanta has been keen on Davis since a report dropped that Dallas was interested in moving away from some of their top players and focusing on the future of Cooper Flagg, but the concerns about Davis’ health remain pertinent.
“I just wouldn’t feel great about betting on Davis’ health when the alternative is having flexibility to get younger players in the summer who better fit the team’s timeline,” Vecenie added.
However you look at it, trading for Davis is a risk, an idea that teams around the league seem to be reluctant to entertain, barring the Hawks.
Trae Young Trade Teams
Though a risk, Vecenie’s trade idea sending Young to the Wizards while getting Davis back in return would be an ideal situation for them. They’d have to give up Risacher and an unprotected first-round pick, but if that’s the price they are willing to pay to replace a minus on defense with a player who hasn’t proven he can stay healthy for a whole season, that’s a decision for their front office to make.
But a trade like this is also more realistic than some of the other ideas floating around because, as of now, Washington expects to be the favorite to land Young. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Wizards would be more than willing to take on the more than $90 million remaining on Young’s contract, which includes a player option for next season, while they fast-track to the lottery for another year in a row.
“More salary would have to be added by Washington to make the salary cap math work in a trade for Young—and it’s believed that the Hawks would also have to send the Wizards draft capital to convince them to absorb Young’s contract—but the prospect of Atlanta trading its most popular player is only growing as the Feb. 5 trade deadline nears,” he wrote on his The Stein Line Substack about Washington taking on Young’s contract for McCollum.
While the Wizards remain the favorites, the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers were all mentioned as potential suitors for Young in a recent article by ESPN. But even if one of those teams becomes more keen on a trade for the 27-year-old, it wouldn’t come easy, considering his contract and his impact on winning basketball.
Hawks Cut Ties With Trae Young, Land AD In Massive Trade Idea