On the morning of January 6, Shams Charania broke the news via X that the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, with agents Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are officially working with the franchise on a trade.
Let’s see which teams would be a great fit for Ice Trae as he awaits a willing dance partner for his next NBA stop:
Washington Wizards
With the former fifth overall pick back in 2018 wanting to get out of Atlanta, it was the Washington Wizards who first voiced their interest in landing the four-time All Star.
Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” reported via X that the 27-year-old star could be headed to Washington in a deal centered around CJ McCollum’s expiring contract.
Should this proposal be green-lit, both sides could somehow benefit as the Hawks would get a veteran guard—McCollum—to guide their young stars, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Wizards, on the other hand, would land a superstar to play alongside their young core of Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, and Keyshawn George.
New York Knicks
Ever since eliminating the New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference back in the 2020–21 NBA season, Young has reportedly been in the watchlist of Knicks fans.
It’s likely the Knicks won’t part ways with any of their core players, like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mitchell Robinson. But they would probably be willing to deal Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, and even add Tyler Kolek and some draft picks in exchange for young, who could be their Sixth Man of the Year-in-waiting.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs drafted the former Oklahoma Sooner back in 2018 before immediately trading him for Luka Doncic. Now, seven years later, might be the right time to suit up for the blue and white. To make things sweeter, Dallas is Ice Trae’s hometown team as he hails from Lubbock, Texas.
In case Young gets dealt to Dallas, he’d make for a deadly trio with Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis—provided he’s healthy and remains with the Mavs as he’s reportedly on the trading block as well. Having a guard who has averaged 9.8 assists per game in his entire NBA career would no doubt allow Flagg and Davis, as well as players like Ryan Nemhard, Brandon Williams, and Max Christie to unlock their game even more.
The only question is: Who can the Mavs offer to entice the Hawks?
Miami Heat
Known for developing undrafted players and second-round picks into stars, it’s now time for the Miami Heat to trade for an established star.
Davion Mitchell is a great defensive player but is likely a talented role player at best, as are Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith. Tyler Herro, meanwhile, has been sidelined for the majority of this season. This leaves the Heat in need of a true star playmaker.
That’s why now might be the time to move on from Herro and pivot to a trio of Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, and Trae Young. But if the Heat could nab Young without letting go either of Herro, Adebayo, and Powell, then it’s all the better for Miami as that fabled Heat Culture may very well unlock the true potential of Ice Trae.
