The rumor mill is heating up after the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery saw the Hawks get the No. 1 pick in a stunner Sunday.
Trae Young — Atlanta’s three-time All-Star point guard and the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft — could be on the trade block, according to multiple reports.
“They had [Hawks guard] 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,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during the 2024 Draft Lottery broadcast on ESPN.
Added Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer: “There’s a growing belief among rival teams that this summer will also put All-Star Trae Young on the league’s trade block.”
Young’s name was mentioned in trade rumors on previous occasions, as the Hawks have tried to build around the 6-foot-1 offensive star but have only enjoyed limited success.
After a stunning run to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks lost in the first round to the Heat and Celtics, respectively, the next two seasons.
Atlanta finished with a 36-46 record and the No. 10 spot record in the Eastern Conference this past season before losing to the Bulls in the Play-In Tournament.
Young is in the second year of a five-year, $207 million rookie maximum extension he signed with the Hawks in August 2021 and averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists this past season.
He is under contract through the 2026-27 season but has an early termination option after the 2025-26 season.
The 25-year-old Young previously had strained relationships with former Hawks coaches Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillan, who were fired in March 2021 and February 2023, respectively.
Trading Young could be part of a roster retooling after the lottery went Atlanta’s way.
The Hawks could use that pick to select the presumed top prospect, Alexandre Sarr, a 19-year-old native of France who stands 7-foot-1 and plays in Australia’s National Basketball League.
The 2024 NBA Draft is set for June 26-27 in New York.
