The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA Draft lottery on Sunday afternoon, landing the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft order. With a ton of NBA rumors already surrounding Atlanta, the possibility of a Trae Young trade appears to be increasing.
While it’s true that the 2024 NBA Draft lacks a bonafide franchise-changing talent, there are several intriguing prospects available for Atlanta with the first overall pick. It also provides the Hawks front office with an opportunity to reset the roster, trading either Young or Dejounte Murray and building a team round whichever of the All-Star guards remains.
Related: 5 targets for the Atlanta Hawks after winning NBA Draft lottery
- Trae Young stats (2023-’24): 25.7 PPG, 10.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 43% FG, 37.3% 3PT
There is plenty of uncertainty around the league regarding who the Hawks will draft with the first pick in 2024. However, NBA trade rumors regarding their guard tandem already started picking up immediately after the NBA Draft lottery.
Appearing on ESPN’s post-lottery coverage, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that there’s a very real chance Atlanta includes both Young and Murray in trade talks this summer.
“They had Dejounte Murray in trade talks. I think the possibility of trade talks including Trae Young in this spring and into the summer are very real, too.”
Adrian Wojnarowski on whether or not the Atlanta Hawks will engage in trade talks for Trae Young, Dejounte Murray this summer
Also Read: Best NBA players of all time
- Trae Young contract: $43.031 million salary (2024-’25), $45.999 million salary (2025-’26), $48.967 million early-termination option in summer of 2026. 15 percent trade kicker
While Young will be entering his age-26 season next, Atlanta hasn’t gone very far with him in the NBA playoffs. over the last three seasons, Atlanta hasn’t reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals. With Young’s salary rising and questions about whether he can be the star of a perennial playoff contender, a trade is a viable option this summer for Atlanta.
Identifying potential Trae Young trade destinations
Winning the draft lottery does give Atlanta the option of keeping Young and using the first overall pick on Alex Sarr, a 7-foot-1 big man who could be a nice complementary piece in the Hawks lineup. However, there are also quite a few teams with draft capital and future assets that might be able to offer Atlanta a more enticing future without Young.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Any trade package coming from the Los Angeles Lakers will have to include future unprotected first-round picks as the 17th overall selection in a weak draft isn’t especially appealing. Los Angeles can deal unprotected first-round picks in 2029 and 2030, along with swap rights in the future. Considering the Lakers’ desire to win now with LeBron James, they’d likely be one of the more aggressive teams.
- San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray feels like a more natural fit for the San Antonio Spurs, but they certainly can’t ignore the opportunity to land an All-Star point guard. With a pair of top-10 picks plus the rights to the Hawks’ future first-round picks, San Antonio would be a natural trade partner for Atlanta. It just becomes a question for the Spurs about if Young fits with Victor Wembanyama.
- Orlando Magic: The Orlando Magic showed a lot of fight in their first-round series loss, but this team needs more firepower. Orlando already has the personnel to account for Young’s defensive deficiencies, allowing the All-Star guard to focus on what he does best. Considering Young would provide the Magic with both things they need – a true point guard and perimeter scoring they are a team to monitor.
Also Read: Best second-round picks in NBA history