With trade talks heating up around the league, Atlanta Hawks star playmaker Trae Young is ready to fly the coop. The Washington Wizards have already approached the Hawks brass with an offer for Young that revolves around veteran guard CJ McCollum, per HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers have registered interest as well.

On the flip side, the Sacramento Kings are disinterested in a deal for Young, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. That’s intriguing, especially given their attempts to trade for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, as reported by Ashish Mathur of Cavaliers Nation. There are doubts about the Dallas Mavericks, who have had dialogue with the Hawks about big man Anthony Davis, having their eye on Young. The Houston Rockets are yet another team that’s unlikely to make a move for him.

Best Blockbuster Trae Young Trades For Hawks

Ultimately, there are four teams that purportedly have Young on their radar. There appear to be three teams that have closed the door on a trade. There’s also a handful of teams that haven’t been publicly linked to the star point guard that could quietly be making calls behind the scenes.

Milwaukee Bucks

There are only two reasons that the Milwaukee Bucks would be looking at Young.

Based on their past actions, it could be their latest attempt to construct a title-contender around superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Or, considering how Antetokounmpo’s jaded view of their roster, they could be targeting Young as their next face of the franchise. As the Hawks are one of the few teams that have been linked to an Antetokounmpo trade, it’s quite feasible that they’re in the latter scenario.

If so, this is the framework that makes the most sense for both sides:

Bucks receive: Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis, Zaccharie Risacher, 2026 First Round Pick (via Pelicans)

Hawks receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Thanasis Antetokounmpo

To be frank, there should be a bit of hesitation from both sides about making this trade. Obviously, the future of both teams will be dramatically altered. More specifically, both teams will be saying goodbye to their franchise cornerstones, Nine times out of 10, that isn’t going to be easy to do.

However, this is the right deal for both organizations if they want to move forward. For the Bucks, they not only receive a player (Young) capable of leading the offense without Antetokounmpo but a sought-after first-round pick that can be used on another building block. That’s exactly what a team should be looking for in a trade that features their best player. For the Hawks, they receive a two-time MVP whose two-way dominance legitimately opens their championship window.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a precarious position at point guard.

Sure, they have three backcourt pieces that they could start at the 1. Yet, Jrue Holiday is 35 years old. Damian Lillard is 35 years old and recovering from an Achilles tear. 21-year-old Scoot Henderson is behind the curve. Make no mistake about it, this is a conundrum and one that the Blazers could see Young solving.

At 27 years old, he’s much younger than Holiday and Lillard. He’s also close enough in age to key forwards Deni Avdija (25) and Toumani Camara (25) to be considered part of their core. Similar to Shaedon Sharpe, though his defense leaves a lot to be desired, his offensive capabilities could be enough for them to push forward with him.

If the two sides do find themselves intrigued by the possibility of making a trade centered around Young, what would be the best deal though?

Blazers receive: Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis

Hawks receive: Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III, 2027 Second Round Pick (via ATL)

In this scenario, the Hawks trade both Young and big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Blazers for Holiday, forward Jerami Grant, big man Robert Williams III and a 2028 first round pick (via the Orlando Magic).

For Atlanta, this is a trade that allows them to lean into a defensive identity without sacrificing too much offensively. Neither Holiday nor Grant are as capable as Young as scorers or facilitators. However, they’re both averaging over 16 points per game and shooting over 36 percent from 3 this season.

Dallas Mavericks

Despite the dismissal of former president and general manager Nico Harrison, the Dallas Mavericks are dissatisfied with the state of their franchise. This has led to their attempts to trade Davis, who headlined the deal that devastated their fan base. Yet, the Mavericks are facing significant obstacles in that endeavor, stalling the long-awaited trade.

There may be a quick way to get around those hurdles though.

Young shares many of the same traits as Luka Doncic. This is not only in his dominance and demeanor but his defensive shortcomings. As a result, he’s more equipped to step into Doncic’s shoes than the vast majority of players. However, he doesn’t project to be a clean fit alongside All-Star guard Kyrie Irving in the backcourt given his past power struggle with New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray.

Mavericks receive: Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis, Zaccharie Risacher

Hawks receive: Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis

In this scenario, Dallas gets their Doncic replacement (Young) and replaces Davis’s undesirable contract with Porzingis’s expiring contract and Risacher’s rookie contract. Atlanta receives a scoring aficionado (Irving) who isn’t a better defender than Young but less ball-dominant and thus more capable of fitting in with multiple playmakers. In Davis, they receive a big man who may be injury-prone but is still more reliable than Porzingis. Additionally, Davis is a better rebounder and interior defender than Onyeka Okongwu.

Brooklyn Nets

With an abundance of young players and draft capital, the Brooklyn Nets are a natural trade suitor for Young. The number of backcourt players that they added in the 2025 NBA Draft only serves to make a deal between them and the Hawks more possible, as players like Egor Demin and Nolan Traore could eventually be seen as the Hawks’ future starting point guards. Bearing that in mind, a trade with the Nets will likely be headlined by forward Michael Porter Jr., who’s in the midst of a career year.

Indeed, the Nets are already listening to offers for the 27-year-old, per The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.

Nets receive: Trae Young

Hawks receive: Michael Porter Jr., Nolan Traore

For Atlanta to be willing to trade Young for Porter, the focus will be on fit rather than a direct comparison of their talents. Compared to Porter, Young is a far better ball-mover even with his ball-dominance. Though Porter is a more capable defender than Young due to his length, he’s not trustworthy at that end. Yet, Porter has one of the purest shooting strokes in the NBA and a knack for scoring off of cuts. Thus, he’s a terrific complement to point-forward Jalen Johnson and jumbo guard Dyson Daniels.

For the Nets to make this move, they simply have to believe Young is a franchise point guard. Of course, up to this point of his career, that’s all he’s been. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez will certainly implore him to refine his shot-selection and make a consistent effort on defense. However, he’s undoubtedly a more capable scorer than any of their backcourt players.