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The Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers have all “monitored” the evolving story surrounding the Atlanta Hawks and star guard Trae Young, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported Monday evening that Young’s representatives and the Hawks were working collaboratively on an exit plan for the four-time All-Star. NBA insider Marc Stein followed up to add that the Washington Wizards are “a legitimate potential trade destination.”
Calling Young a distressed asset is a stretch, but his trade value is arguably as low as it’s ever been.
An MCL sprain and quad contusion have limited the 6’2″ playmaker to 10 games this year, and his production was trending in the wrong direction prior to the season. He averaged an NBA-best 11.6 assists in 2024-25 but shot a career-worst 41.1 percent from the field.
Young is on an expiring salary as well. He can either become a free agent or pick up his $49 million player option, which is a big short-term commitment when he’s not performing at his best.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps also pointed to the fact “there simply isn’t a great need for point guard play” around the NBA.
Teams rarely get a commensurate return when they deal a star player, and the Hawks have even less leverage than usual in regard to Young.
None of the Bucks, Timberwolves or Clippers has a lot of trade capital left at this point. All three make sense as a landing spot for Young because of their need to win now and what’s likely to be a relatively low cost for a player of his pedigree.
Milwaukee and Minnesota are two of the exceptions to Bontemps’ point in that they have a glaring need for a point guard. Los Angeles’ 13-22 record, meanwhile, speaks for itself in terms of evaluating the roster.
A bidding war would be the best possible outcome for the Hawks. They’re still not going to recoup full value for Young, but they may manage to get some assets that helps them pivot to a post-Trae future.