Few NBA players have a reputation like Trae Young. A four-time All-Star and reigning assist champ, the Hawks’ star point guard can clearly put up numbers on the court, yet perception of his talents appears to be split into two camps — you either love him, or you hate him. Whatever the case, the 27-year-old now finds himself as the subject of trade discussions and may very well be on the way out of Atlanta sooner rather than later.
If a Trae Young trade materializes in the coming weeks, what landing spots make the most sense as prime destinations?
Top Trae Young trade destinations
Once a hero who led the Hawks on a thrilling playoff run that included an iconic performance in front of a hostile Madison Square Garden crowd, one could say the once-mighty guard has fallen. Young has appeared in just 10 of 37 possible games for Atlanta this season due to injury. Once a star scorer and lead option for his team, his 19.3 points per game are the lowest of his career since 2018-19, his rookie campaign. He averages 8.9 assists a night with 15.6 potential assists, the latter of which sits fourth in the league, showing he remains one of the NBA’s best playmakers in typical heliocentric guard fashion. However, Young’s efficiency metrics of 41.5% from the field and a career-low 30.5% from three are cause enough for concern even beyond his noted struggles on the defensive end.
The most damning stat is that the Hawks are 17-20 on the season. Their record without Young in the lineup? A very respectable 15-12. The W/L column with him on the floor, though? A 2-8 record raises serious questions, especially with teammate Jalen Johnson taking a clear leap to stardom.
Now, trade chatter has picked up surrounding the star’s future in Atlanta. Earlier on Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Washington Wizards’ interest in acquiring Young in a deal centered around CJ McCollum. Later in the afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Hawks and the point guard’s agents are working with the franchise to find a trade.
The end of the Trae era in this city appears nigh, but what destinations make sense as landing spots? It’s tough to tell since the discourse surrounding his play gives him the appearance of one of the NBA’s most polarizing players. Any team acquiring him may require a certain kind of roster construction to surround him, a glaring need at lead guard, or even an air of desperation to guide such a swing on the upside he could bring. What franchises could hold interest?
Dallas Mavericks
The chatter via Marc Stein’s reporting about the Wizards does hold weight, but there are concerns about whether it makes sense as anything more than a salary dump that would see Young decline his player option for 2026-27 and leave Washington after just half a season. At 27 years old, he doesn’t entirely fit the team’s rebuilding timeline, but there is another squad on the verge of a rebuild which could be enticed. Whispers about a potential swap that would send Young to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis have risen in volume recently. Now, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Mavs as the betting favorite with +250 odds to become the point guard’s next team. For Dallas, adding Young could mean the opportunity to secure a high-upside floor general to pair with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg for the foreseeable future. The biggest issue is whether the former All-NBA talent would fit the Mavericks’ own timeline as a re-tool looms, but sometimes where there’s smoke, fire also follows. Plus, the Mavs could be closer to contention than the Wizards anyways.
Milwaukee Bucks
One team which does stand out among the rest as a potential desperation play is the Milwaukee Bucks. The franchise is dealing with its own trade drama as a potential move for multi-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to hover like a dark cloud over the organization. With the threat of the superstar’s exit possibly causing a great degree of discomfort for the former perennial playoff competitors, a splashy move for a player like Young could provide a co-star to placate the Bucks’ franchise icon… at least for the moment. There’s plenty of risk involved here and Milwaukee lacks a surplus of assets in its war chest, but this is the kind of transaction teams often make out of sheer desperation when trying to extend the end of an era. At 16-20, a jump back to the middle of the Eastern Conference isn’t out of the realm of possibility for the Bucks and there’s a chance that surrounding Antetokounmpo with additional firepower could get them into the postseason picture once more. The odds come in at +1000 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Boston Celtics
They’re a sleeper team in this sweepstakes — if you want to call it that — but the Boston Celtics actually make some sense as a landing spot for Young’s services. Yes, the odds come in at +5000 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but this could prove a prudent long-shot wager. The front office made some major changes over the offseason with the intention of using this year as something of an opportunity to reload while weathering the injury rehab process for superstar Jayson Tatum. Yet this team holds a 22-12 record on the campaign and sits third in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics have defied expectations on a nightly basis and are playing with house money at this point without expectations of truly competing for a title. Who’s to say the organization may not view this opportunity to add Young into the starting lineup for the longer term once Tatum is fully healthy, creating a big three of sorts with the pair playing alongside Jaylen Brown? Keep Boston in mind as a dark horse here.
