NBA Trade Rumors: Trae Young Lands With Miami Heat in Proposed Blockbuster

The Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young have had a sort of love-hate relationship going for a while now. Do the Hawks want to continue to build around the mercurial all-offense, no-defense point guard? Does Trae want to continue his prime with a team that's nowhere close to contending, and won't be in the near future?

And while the Hawks want to 'retool', their brethren in the Southeast Division, the Miami Heat, are looking to 'reload', and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has a proposition for a trade that could work for both teams:

Atlanta Hawks receive:

Terry Rozier
Duncan Robinson
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Nikola Jović
Pelle Larsson
2025 First-Rounder (20th pick)
2030 protected first-rounder from Miami
$19.4 million trade exception

Miami Heat receive:

Trae Young

For the Heat, Young would be the third star to complement the talents of center Bam Adebayo and guard Tyler Herro. Defense in the backcourt could be an issue in this scenario, admits Pincus, but between Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware up front, Andrew Wiggins on the wing, and the potential return of pending free agent Davion Mitchell as a third guard, plus coach Erik Spoelstra's defensive system, the Heat may have enough to cover for Trae's deficiencies at that end.

On the offensive side of the ball, Herro and Young would be a handful to contend with.

Trae Young can become free agent after upcoming season

On the Hawks' side of this hypothetical deal, they'd get out of a sticky situation with Young, who can become a free agent after the coming season, if he opts out of his $49M player option for 2026-27. Pincus notes that "several competing executives aren't sold that Young will be in Atlanta beyond his current deal."

Instead, with this proposed trade, the Hawks would save themselves a boatload of money (upwards of $250M or so that it would take to re-sign Trae), and get a ton of assets back to rebuild their depth, including a couple of young players with potential in Jaquez Jr. and Jović.

Atlanta is reaching decision time on Trae Young, and it could come this summer.