Bleacher Report’s Hot New Trade Idea Sends Trae Young to Orlando for Wendell Carter Jr + More Assets

The Atlanta Hawks made one of the biggest trades of the offseason when they traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and two first-round picks. This seemed to indicate that the Hawks were going to try to restructure the team around Trae Young with better pieces on the roster, namely Dyson Daniels. When the Spurs drafted Stephon Castle with the fourth pick and then signed Chris Paul in free agency, it seemed like every team that was apparently interested in trading for Young was out of the picture.

Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley still thinks a Trae Young trade is possible and proposed this new trade idea for the Hawks to send him to the Orlando Magic:

Orlando Magic receives: Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks receive: Markelle Fultz (sign-and-trade), Wendell Carter Jr., Jett Howard, 2025 first-round pick and 2026 first-round pick swap

“While the Hawks have already traded Dejounte Murray, they could still consider moving Young as well. Sending him away would take pressure off first-round pick Zaccharie Risacher, and it could also allow the front office to shed its remaining assets for rebuilding tools. Granted, a total reset wouldn’t be as beneficial as usual since San Antonio controls Atlanta’s next three draft picks, but the Hawks could still see the value in accumulating assets sooner rather than later.

The Magic could be happy to help him in that area. Their 22nd-ranked offense has been the least efficient of any play-in participant this season, including play-in teams. Newcomers Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tristan da Silva add a lot to Orlando’s equation, but scoring volume isn’t a strong suit for either.

Young, meanwhile, has never averaged fewer than 25 points since his rookie season. He has never averaged fewer than 10 assists in two seasons. And he has made more than three three-pointers per game in three of the previous five campaigns. He has been a top-10 offense throughout his career, and if he can have that kind of impact on a team with a defense as dominant as the Magic, they could be the league’s next stealth contender.

The Hawks aren’t going to get a fortune for Young. His offensive volume is incredible, but his defense is disastrous and his contract is huge. So walking away with two rotation players in Fultz and Carter, a recent lottery pick in Howard, an unprotected first-round pick and a swap of unprotected first-round picks would be a steal.

If the Hawks had kept Murray, there was still a chance Young would be traded, but I think those opportunities are over this offseason in my opinion. With Murray gone, trading Young anywhere other than San Antonio to get your own picks is a stupid move. The players Atlanta gets in this trade don’t drastically change their team’s outlook or chances of winning. Atlanta gets worse in this trade and that only benefits San Antonio. As it stands, the Hawks are likely to be in the 8-10 range in the Eastern Conference, but a trade like this would make them worse and help the Spurs land a better pick. Fultz has improved over his career, but he shouldn’t be the primary point guard on a team. Jett Howard didn’t play for Orlando last year. The Hawks have three centers on the roster and would have plenty of maneuvering to do once they acquire Carter Jr. Orlando’s picks are likely to be in the low 20s.

The moves the Hawks made this offseason signaled that they were going to retool this roster around Young and there were still moves to be made.

The bottom of the Eastern Conference allows Atlanta to be a play-in team with their current roster and could even be a top-six seed if things go right. This is a better roster around Young and all the pieces are coming together better, much like the 2021 Conference Finals team. I’m not saying this team will do that, but the structure of the team makes more sense than it did the last two seasons. There are still moves to make for the Hawks this offseason, including potential deals for Clint Capela, Larry Nance, and possibly De’Andre Hunter. The Hawks should continue to add the right pieces to their roster, but making a blockbuster deal for Lauri Markkanen shouldn’t be one of those moves. Atlanta should remain patient and continue to build their roster, which they did this offseason. It appears Atlanta finally has a plan to build a roster around Young and they shouldn’t step on the gas too soon again.