Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young Trade Buzz Gets More Fuel After No. 1 Pick Lottery Win

The peak of Young’s career in Atlanta occurred in 2021 when the Hawks star led his team to a Conference Finals appearance against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Hawks didn’t get the job done and found themselves exiting the playoffs that year.

Since then, the front office spent a significant chunk of their assets to acquire Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, his fit with Young didn’t really work out on the offensive end. As a result, the team didn’t go past the first round, and even failed to advance via the Play-In Tournament this year. Needless to say, Young’s recent run in Atlanta has left many disappointed with the All-Star point guard.

Atlanta Hawks Projected To Trade Trae Young After Getting Number One Pick in 2024 NBA Draft

Just recently, the Hawks landed the first pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in an article by Bleacher Report’s Doric Sam, that pick opened up the possibility of trading Young in the offseason.

“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,” Wojnarowski said.

Young has three years remaining on his contract, the last of which is a player option. He’s set to make $43 million in the 2024-25 season, so the Hawks could look to shed his expensive salary and build toward the future,” Sam wrote.

In the event Atlanta moves on from Young, the franchise will have to build around Murray and this year’s number one pick. It’s still unknown whether that pick will be packaged with Young to get another star or used to obtain a rookie they can develop for years to come.

The NBA Draft is a two-night affair scheduled on June 26 and 27. As such, it’s going to be less than two months before everyone finds out what will happen to Young during the offseason.