3 teams that should rescue Trae Young from Hawks purgatory right now

The Atlanta Hawks' summer of change has not been as pronounced as many expected. The Dejounte Murray trade was an overdue course correction, but Atlanta couldn't find trade partners for Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, or other vets. Zaccharie Risacher figures to alter the chemistry of this team as the No. 1 pick, but the Hawks are still ostensibly trying to compete in the Eastern Conference.

Trae Young is the cornerstone of Atlanta's roster and the barometer for all expectations. Ever since that fateful conference finals run in 2021, Young has been viewed through a certain lens. The Hawks need to contend, lest there be a feeling of disappointment. That feeling has been especially prevalent these last couple years.

Atlanta just ain't that good, folks. Trae continues to amaze with his offensive talent, but the squad around him is not built to win at the highest level. The Hawks were among the worst defensive teams in the league last season and those issues stretched far beyond Young's limited size. Moreover, the fit with Dejounte was utterly untenable.

The Hawks should be better this time around. Addition by subtraction. Jalen Johnson is due for another leap, Risacher is a tremendous fit (even I'm skeptical of him at the No. 1 pick), and Young can still lead a top-flight offense.

And yet, the Hawks don't appear very committed to Young as their foundation. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the only reason Young survived the summer on Atlanta's roster is a lack of viable trade offers.

The Hawks can't really afford a tank effort in 2025 — their first-round pick belongs to San Antonio — but if the Trae Young era is truly approaching its end, several teams should inquire. He's a natural lightning rod for criticism with his unavoidable limitations and unconventional style, but Young is one hell of a basketball player. He would make a lot of teams better.

3. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic made moves this summer, adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to one of the brightest young cores in the league. Paolo Banchero has already captured the imagination of NBA fans across the globe and Franz Wagner is the best player your next-door neighbor has never heard of.

What the Magic still lack is a point guard and 3-point shooting. KCP should help with the latter, but more 3-point volume would do the Magic some good. As for point guard, that job currently falls to Jalen Suggs, who is much better in a connecting role. Suggs processes the game quickly and fires some impressive dimes, but he struggles to create advantages with his handle in the halfcourt.

Young would help the Magic on both fronts. He's one of the highest-volume shooters in the NBA. Critics will bemoan his lack of efficiency, but Young hit a career-high 37.3 percent of his 3s on 8.7 attempts last season. Moreover, Young's 3-point shooting value transcends makes or misses. He is completely unafraid to launch from several steps behind the line and he needs very little space to uncork his pull-up jumper. As such, defenses are stretched thin trying to contain Young on the perimeter. When his defenders press up too far, Young can blow by and wreak havoc as a driver.

Orlando gets plenty of rim pressure and shot creation from Banchero and Wagner, but Young is the halfcourt engine the Magic need to take that next step. He can spoon-feed open 3s, set up Banchero and Wagner for easier looks at the basket, and leave defenses scrambling to cover pick-and-roll actions. Young dominates touches, sure, but he also makes life easier on his teammates. Stylistically, Banchero and Wagner are much better co-star fits than Dejounte Murray ever was.

The Magic also happen to feature several elite defenders across the board and a lot of length. Young is never going to be a strong point defensively, but the Magic are uniquely positioned to cover for him on that end of the floor.

Orlando is already a top-five team in the East with a chance to ascend even further. Young quite possibly pushes the Magic into the contenders circle.

2. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs were mentioned quite often as a potential Trae Young destination last summer, but when push came to shove, the Spurs looked elsewhere. Chris Paul is great, but he's a one-year mentor for a young roster and not much else. The Spurs still lack their point guard of the future and Trae remains tantalizingly available.

There is understandable trepidation in the front office — small guards are a tough sell in the modern NBA and the Spurs don't want to rush Victor Wembanyama's development — but Young is much more stable than he gets credit for. Sure, fans must suffer the occasional bad shot or sloppy turnover, but Young generally keeps defenses on a string, manipulating with his eyes and lulling his man to sleep with shifty, stop-start handles. The 3-point gravity is real and Young is among the top pick-and-roll creators in the sport. That pairs extremely well on paper with Wemby.

Tre Jones is fine, but mediocre point guard play doomed the Spurs last season. Wembanyama needed a few weeks to find his footing, in large part due to San Antonio's lack of a playmaking mechanism around him. The Spurs' 7-foot-4 rookie was forced to shoulder an uncommon offensive burden out of the gate, essentially operating as San Antonio's halfcourt fulcrum and bail-out shot-maker from day one.

That was an inevitable progression for Wemby, but he could've used more help as a rookie. It won't matter much next season — Wemby is going scorched-earth on the NBA as a sophomore — but an elite table-setter would still work wonders. Young can throw lobs all day. Wemby has the widest catch radius in the NBA. Wemby can also pick-and-pop, posing a threat at every level. Young commands double teams coming off of screens and forces the defense to tag him as soon as he crosses halfcourt. Nobody on the Spurs' current roster requires that level of respect.

There is such an obvious mutual benefit to pairing Young and Wembanyama. The Spurs don't want to hit the accelerator too soon, but Wembanyama looks suspiciously like a superstar already. It shouldn't take long for San Antonio to start contending in the West.

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Instead of adding a third star to accentuate LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have opted for a much bolder offseason strategy: do absolutely nothing.

Rob Pelinka still hasn't made a meaningful trade or free agent signing. Unless you're a devout Dalton Knecht believer, there's no reason to believe this Lakers squad has improved. Maybe J.J. Redick is the next Phil Jackson, but it will take time for that to manifest. The track record for former players coaching without a lick of coaching experience is, well, mixed. That is a charitable framing. Moreover, LeBron is almost 40. He is LeBron, so Father Time's presence is negligible, but the clock is ticking.

Young is still there for the taking. Los Angeles doesn't need a third star, just the right upgrade, but Young checks both boxes. The fit is way stronger than folks seem to think. Young's ball-dominant style can be a turnoff, but we have to think a bit outside the box when projecting his Lakers fit.

For starters, LeBron probably doesn't command the same on-ball workload if the Lakers trade for Young, which is a positive. Again, the dude is almost 40. Limiting his playmaking burden in the regular season is just common sense.

We are probably underrating Young's ability to impact the offense away from the ball, too. He hasn't done much off-ball work in Atlanta, but Young is an elite movement shooter who processes the floor at light speed and fires every manner of creative pass. If he gets spoon-fed open looks on the perimeter and is allowed to torch a rotating defense off the catch, how can we expect anything but success?

The Anthony Davis fit is also incredible. The Lakers are not-so-subtly planning for a future built around AD once LeBron retires. Young works to that end. He can hit Davis on lobs and establish that two-man game as the foundation of LA's offense.

Los Angeles should be able to construct a competent defense around Young and the offensive fit is excellent. This is more than tying the Lakers to a flashy name in the rumor mill. Young would actually put Los Angeles back on the map of contenders. The Lakers need to place this phone call yesterday. Even if it takes Austin Reaves.