NBA rumors: Trae Young offseason trade? Kyle Lowry homecoming details, Mavs near miss

NBA rumors: Hawks could trade Trae Young in offseason

The Atlanta Hawks stood pat at the trade deadline, refusing to deal All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray despite a whirlwind of rumors. While Murray's future remains shrouded in mystery, he's not the only Hawks All-Star potentially on the move once the season ends. According to Yahoo's Jake Fischer, league officials believe Trae Young could be made available next summer.

"There are several front offices that listened to Atlanta’s pre-deadline chatter and came away from conversations with the Hawks of the belief Trae Young could become available for trade this summer — depending on Atlanta’s outcome for the remainder of this campaign... But for now, one spot other than Los Angeles that’s repeatedly been mentioned by NBA figures as a potential home for Young — if Atlanta were to ever consider parting with its franchise face and All-Star lead ball-handler — is San Antonio."

Young has been sensational despite Atlanta's collective struggles, averaging 27.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists on .432/.377/.855 splits in 36.6 minutes. The Hawks are 24-29, which presently places 10th in the East. Without a clear direction, there's a strong chance Young becomes disenchanted with his circumstances. Atlanta has a ton of youth on the rise — Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, A.J. Griffin — so it could make sense to smash the reset button at season's end.

There's still time for the Hawks to turn their campaign around, but it's hard to muster confidence in their ability to do so. Young is a generational offensive leader, but Atlanta's defense is in shambles and Murray has failed to live up to expectations as the Hawks' No. 2 star. Opinions tend to vary on Young, but his combination of pull-up shooting range and passing creativity keeps defenses under constant stress.

The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are named as potential landing spots for Young. Los Angeles didn't make a trade despite intense external and internal pressure. Now, the front office will have three first-round picks available to trade in the summer. Young is clearly on their radar. For the Spurs, it's hard to deny the appeal of pairing Victor Wembanyama with the NBA's best pick-and-roll point guard.

Young, 25, is under contract through the 2025-26 season. The Hawks shouldn't necessarily feel pressure, but on the other hand, Young has tasted postseason success. He led Atlanta to the conference finals in 2021. If he gets tired of failure — and the Hawks get tired of failure — both sides could desire an amicable breakup. If that does end up happening, expect several teams to join LA and San Antonio in the bidding war.