The Hawks‘ decision to hold onto Dejounte Murray at the trade deadline has rival teams speculating that they might part with Trae Young this summer, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). If that happens, Stein expects plenty of suitors to line up, with the Spurs and Lakers possibly leading the way.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports published a similar report in the wake of Thursday’s trade deadline and also identified San Antonio and Los Angeles as prospective suitors for Young.
There have been rumors for months that San Antonio might be a realistic location for Young, according to Stein. His ability to stretch the floor would provide more space for Victor Wembanyama to operate, and Wembanyama’s size and shot-blocking could help cover up for Young’s shortcomings on defense. Stein states that it’s “believed in some corners of the league” that Young would be interested in joining the Spurs if Atlanta decides to move him.
Stein also cites the Lakers as a potential destination, considering that Anthony Davis is a good complement for Young’s skills as well. L.A. was rumored to be among the leading contenders to acquire Murray, and general manager Rob Pelinka will have a lot more trade ammunition to work with during the offseason.
“In terms of what was available at the trade deadline, we had one first-round draft pick,” Pelinka said after this year’s deadline passed. “It was our only sort of hook to fish with. And this summer in June, at the time of the draft, we’ll have three first-round draft picks to look for deals, which I think will really unlock an access to potentially a greater or bigger swing.”
Stein points out that the Lakers aren’t completely sure about the future of LeBron James, who faces a decision on a $51.4MM player option. While it seems likely that he’ll choose to take the money, the organization is preparing for all scenarios, according to Stein, and the draft prospects of his son, USC freshman Bronny James, could enter into the equation.
Bronny is no longer considered a first-round prospect, but Stein hears that at least two teams — and possibly more — believe LeBron would considering signing with them for much less than his option figure if they were to select his son in the second round.
If that were to happen, Stein adds, the Lakers would need a marquee name like Young to take his place and Pelinka would be relieved that he held onto the 2027 first-rounder at the deadline.
I wouldn’t team Wemby with Trae. I think Trae’s lack of defense and questionable shot selection would frustrate both Pop and Wemby. Better solution is to go get someone like Fultz who doesn’t need to score in order to be effective.
I’m not his biggest fan but Trae is an impact player, he makes things happen. He has actually tried on defense this season. He’s still bad at it but he’s made a concerted effort to get better. His offensive game can make up for his lack of defense with the right players around him though.
I hate to say it cause I like Fultz but it’s hard to effective at all when your on injury report.
I agree with Fultz, his injury history scares a lot of teams. Maybe go out and get one of the Portland guards? They need to find a PG asap for Wemby otherwise it’s going to be AD with the Pelicans all over again.
Please share that doobie.
It was already smoked this morning. Sorry.
Even trying, Trae is a huge liability defensively.
The Hawks, while they’ve also been injured, have tried to consistently surround Trae with mostly defensive minded guys. Hunter, Bey, Murray, Capella, Okongwu, etc. The only real success they’ve been able to have was basically when every other team struggled with significant injuries in the East and they made it to the Eastern Conference finals.
Their roster was also alot deeper then, which they’re incapable of doing now due to some financial restrictions.
Trae is an awesome offensive player, he’s one of the best pure offensive players in the league, but he’s also just THAT bad defensively. He consiste try gets picked apart, and he has to be absolutely on fire offensively for him to be successful overall.
I think the Hawks have tried what they can with Trae, and it’s probably best to move on and go with their other quakity players like Murray, Bey, Okongwu, Hunter, and Bogdanovic.
There is a reason why Mark Stein is now self-publishing his NBA “scoop” on substack. A completely garbage story. Stein “hears” teams are speculating that Trae Young will be made available. He “possibly” thinks the Spurs and Lakers will be involved. Just a garbage story. Atlanta is NOT trading Trae Young. They ain’t gonna win with him, but they ain’t trading him either. Just a dude writing made up stuff, and of course, mentioning the Lakers to draw added attention.
Hawks would demand
Center piece
1 young all star
And 4 Firsts
Shouldn’t have traded Luka for him in the first place.
No one trades 4 firsts, definitely not for Trae and definitely not a year ahead of FA. Try to be realistic.
If Trae is all that – why is his team about to slide into the lottery? This is why Spurs will have no interest. They have never chased big reputations.
Ha, ha!
I would think the Spurs would have the upper hand to obtain Trae Young with all the future assets they have to trade.
Atlanta could recoup a bunch of their own picks given up in the Murray deal.
This. No one has anything more valuable. And the Spurs have a gaping hole at PG.
I hate that balding little rat but he is good and gives SA just what they need.
LeBron is definitely leaving.. unless Lakers can find a way to get Bronny. LAL should cut bait and get Young. LeBron has at best, 2-3 seasons left if he stays
The only teams I could see LeBron leaving for are the Clippers and the Cavs. His family and business is entrenched in LA. It’s not just Bronny but Bryce goes to school there as well.
If the Cavs come close, say game 6 or 7 in the East semis or ECF he might come back for try win it one final time but otherwise he’ll stay in LA.
Lebron Signs in Free Agency to the Grizzlies, Lebron, Ja, Bane, Smart, Jaren
Lol oh the Lakers are leading suitors for Trae Young…you think 3 firsts and Austin Reaves is gettin Trae Young, hilarious
Yes
Let’s say Young’s value is 1.0
Lakers have 5 pieces
Each piece is 0.2
Equal value
I like the Lakers idea of trading away 2031 picks
Lakers = failure at Trade Deadline
Why?
These Lakers would get swept by Clippers in the first round playoff
IMO
Lebron and Bronny to the jazz. We all know that the king likes the jazz on his Xbox. Or despises the jazz when gaming against them.
Jazz would be a crazy team
George and harden would be low cost
S and T
I’m a little fuzzy on the rules governing the ability to trade draft choices…
How is it the Lakers will go from the one tradable first they now have to three of them once this season has completed? Thanks in advance!
Because they’re the lakers, bigger than basketball hahahahaha.
31 becomes tradable and they finally find out if NO takes 24 or 25 so the other becomes tradable
Thank you!
Jazz would pursue trae causing a bidding war
What do the Lakers have to offer that the Hawks would want? Nothing!! So in this scenario if the Spurs want him the Spurs will get him.
Hahaha of course the lakers are getting Trae. Adding Luka, Mitchell, Durant, Steph, and jokic too. Should keep Bron happy. Worse contract in the league next yr
You’re out of action, Dan. For starters, the Hawks wanted Austin Reaves plus the 1st round pick for Murray and LA turned them down. I become weary of all you Laker haters throwing out ridiculous far-fetched comments just to belittle the Lakers. It really diminishes the quality of the site. No other NBA team is subjected to more gas-lit criticism and absurd commentary. Of course in this day and age, bashing anyone or anything that has had success is the fashion and the norm. Too bad for everyone.
There’s a Mute feature for a reason. Use it or don’t. Up to you.
Hey, I thought you had to be at least 12 years old to comment on MLB Trade/hoops rumors. Go clean up your room.
Trae on paper had the potential to be Steph Curry, he’s got the range, the dribble moves, the shooting efficiency, the big shot making ability, but for starters he hasn’t had nearly the help nor has he got the same mindset.
He’s going to have a career more similar to Dame Lillard, really good numbers, lots of fans but no rings. Never really had much of a supporting cast and needs to adjust to being a number 2 to a real star and fitting into that role.
Don’t think Vic is that great of a fit besides the shooting and spacing. Lack of defence and two thin frames and Injury concerns would be a worry. Not to mention Pop’s offence is never iso ball it’s always pass and move team playing.
Trae with Paolo Banchero would be a better fit in my opinion, or Trae in Miami with Jimmy and Bam.
Miami has been looking for the offensive minded star guard for a while and Trae I think would be great either way his range and playmaking.
You’d have to give up Herro, Rozier and picks but I would certainly do that
They don’t have pick(s)
Lakers messed up at the deadline, on multiple fronts. They didn’t get tax savings, they didn’t land a marquee player, and they didn’t find a way to get Bronny in the 24 draft. LAC 2nd round pick is all the have? Could be the last pick.
I don’t think Pelinka has done a terrible job, the Westbrick deal was bad. But, this might be worse. Effectively losing the best player in NBA history bc you didn’t manage assets right? Fireable offense unless they do bring in a Top-15 player.
Best player in nba history and done. Stop listening to LBJ and the media, do your own homework. How you stopping Jordan without having monsters camping at the rim ready to hit him? You going to force him into a jump shooter? It’s disrespectful LeGoat automatically jumps to no.2 also.
It’s a coin flip between MJ and LeBron. And if you think LBJ gets clean drives to the basket, you’re smoking so much you’re blind. LeBron flops, I’ll give you that, but mainly bc they dont call half the fouls against him bc he powers thru contact his entire career.
Going to the finals every single year in this era of basketball is insane. Its Tom Brady vs Joe Montana convo.
I make my own decisions btw, media can f off. This outlet, social media, cable outlets, etc.. I use my eyes.
Are you in your 20’s? Bron is all about straight line drives, the brondoze shoulder drop or the 6 step spin move. Jordan would absolutely destroy lebron. The goat doesn’t get shut down by Marion while getting lite up by Jason Terry and JJ Barea. 17 a game in the finals while playing with Wade is laughable for the supposed GOAT. MJ, Kareem, Kobe, Magic, Wilt, Larry, Russell over Bron easily in my books. MJ is the best offensive weapon in all of basketball in a time where physical D was allowed. Best defensive guard in the history of the game. Clutch gene that bron doesnt have. Start connecting the dots. You are not stopping Jordan today. The goat doesn’t go 40% in the finals, he goes at 100%.
“Nrg82” Here we have a perfect example of the clowns who have such a deep seated hatred of Lebron and the Lakers that he will regurgitate ridiculous, over the top opinions that have no basis in reality. They come from the pain and despair that LA has inflicted on this poor soul that makes him want to lash out.
Basis in reality? Do tell. Every false bron narrative comparing to MJ can easily be debunked with facts. Who’s a better offensive player? Who’s a better defender? Who’s more clutch? Who’s more of a winner?
Look Nrg82. I’ve never been a fan of declaring somebody the GOAT because it is extremely subjective. I don’t know who the GOAT is because MJ and Bron came from different eras, different teams and teammates, etc. There are also mitigating circumstances such as Jordan deciding he wanted to be a professional baseball player and wasting several of his prime years as an NBA player. Your opinions above are opinions. State the facts you are declaring. You can cherry pick stats to make a case for either player, but Lebron has scored more points, almost twice as many assists, he will be the all time leading scorer forever, and so on. See, I’m not debating who is the GOAT. Jordan did it at a level for a period of time that is probably the best ever. Lebron has done it at a tremendous level for longer than anybody ever, and still going. What I didn’t like was you belittling James constantly, naming a bunch of other players that you say are better, in your opinion, and acting like Lebron is chopped liver. There are 2 players in the conversation for GOAT. Nobody else. And if you want some respect, quit bashing Lebron just ’cause you hate him for I don’t know what reason.
More efficient and scored more when allowed to play physical D than bron in this defensive turnstile league we have today. Most clutch guy to ever play the game. 9 times defensive team (record). Defensive player of the yr. Didn’t have homecourt in several finals series while beating the current MVP. Most steals and blocks for a shooting guard all time. Both played 5 guys i think named in the top 75 in the finals. Jordan is 100% against these guys, bron is 40% against his 5. Jordan did all this with one other all star on his roster. How many all stars James played with in his finals appearances? Bron will always have his bubble and in season tournament rings though.
There you go again. You can’t help throwing out derogatory and cynical comments about LB. (enjoy his bubble title). Did I once badmouth Jordan in any of my comments? I could, but why bother? Like his last gasp, pitiful couple of years with the Wizards for example. Lebron is still playing at a very high level for a guy that is going to be 40 years old later this year. His box score the other night was 36 points, 20 assists, and 10 rebounds if I remember correctly. What was Jordan doing at 40? Jordan would cruise around Chicago in his chauffeured limousine going to bars looking for willing females. I have close relatives who are Bulls fans that live in Chi-town and Jordan’s night life shenanigans were common knowledge. But that is neither here nor there. We’re talking basketball. Like I said above, LBJ is playing at a level for his age that is unprecedented. Nobody has ever done this. Nobody wanted Jordan at the end. There are teams out there that are hoping Bron opts out of his contract so they can sign him. What’s with the hatred of Lebron? I’d truly like to hear your reasoning. It seems pretty intense. Moving forward, did you read and comprehend my comment from above? Deep down, I might choose MJ for the GOAT, but like I said, it’s somewhat of an exercise in futility for reasons that I stated above. Your take on Lebron is worthless, built on dislike and extreme bias. Any NBA forum would throw you out of the room for your biased, hateful evaluation of his career. Like him or not, he’s one of the greatest ever whether you want to admit or not. I can see that talking with you is futile because you have very little objectivity and let your personal dislike for someone influence your opinion to the point of absurdity. You can’t say that I didn’t try to reason with you on an objective and fair basis. But you just are not willing to come across half way. Actually, your attitude and that of some others is one of the reasons this forum is at times disappointing. I love the content and along with the baseball, it’s my 1st click for what’s going on in the sports. But because your opinions are too often led with hatred or dislike instead of being fair and objective, it makes reading the comments a waste of time with nothing to win and a lot of time to lose responding to someone who throws out comments that are preposterous and farcical. Posting garbage is a killer for any valuable and quality discussion no matter what the subject. Anyway, enough is enough. So long Nrb and enjoy your Lebron James bashing going forward.
LeBron also uses cutting edge PEDs while Michael smoked stogies and drank beer post game.
I would bet if it was up to him, Trae would choose the Lelakers over the Spurs.
Lakers should target Mitchell
Why?
They are likely sell low
He has not sign extension
Keyword: speculation. Not even a rumor.
No way my Spurs trade for Trae. He’s too small and can’t play defense. He always needs the ball in his hands. The Spurs don’t operate like that. They have two first round picks this year and the potential of 4-5 first round picks next year. They need to draft a big versatile PG. They passed on Haliburton which was a mistake. They also passed on Jalen Duren, another mistake. They got decent players instead but not as good and Hali and Duren.
You just described that Serbian kid projected to go high.
I don’t think Bronny is leaving college for developmental reasons and he makes to much money on NIL. Are we sure Bronny wants to leave college already ? Lebron has also recently said he would be okay playing against his son and sharing the court. He said he wants to play with him but it’s what Bronny wants at the end of the day