Trade idea: Trae Young to the Phoenix Suns for Jalen Green, Nick Richards, Rasheer Fleming, a 2027 first-round pick (via UTA, CLE or MIN) and a 2029 second-round pick
Trade winds aren’t swirling around Young at the moment, but that dam might break as soon as he’s back from an MCL sprain. Atlanta has hardly missed a beat in his absence and has, in fact, fared a whopping 14.2 points better per 100 possessions without him this season.
Maybe that has the Hawks envisioning a future without him—this is the last guaranteed season on his contract—and maybe the Suns would help bring that vision to the present. They’re off to a surprisingly successful start, but it’s easy to question its sustainability when they don’t have a starting-caliber point guard and are so far leaning on Dillon Brooks, a defensive pest, as their No. 2 scorer.
If Phoenix wants to lighten the load on Devin Booker, Young could make that happen. He commands constant attention from opposing defenses for both his prolific playmaking (the reigning assists champion) and deep scoring range. Let those two loose in the backcourt, add in the Suns’ size and length up front, and maybe you’ve just made the Suns into a true two-way problem.
The Hawks, who won’t control their own first-round pick until 2028, wouldn’t want to use a Young trade to bottom out, but they might sidestep that kind of slippage with this swap. Green’s play-finishing would help highlight the playmaking punch of both Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, while Richards could serve as either a trade chip or a younger, more reliable alternative to Kristaps Porziņģis, who’s slated to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Throw in the draft assets and Fleming, this year’s 31st pick, and Atlanta would be getting both immediate support and long-term flexibility.