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With Trae Young’s value at all-time low, Bill Simmons teases one last hope for Hawks
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- With Trae Young’s value at all-time low, Bill Simmons teases one last hope for Hawks
With Trae Young's value at all-time low, Bill Simmons teases one last hope for Hawks appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Atlanta Hawks find themselves at a strange spot heading towards the midway point of the 2025-26 NBA season.
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On one hand, they appear to have found a new franchise player outside of the lottery in Jalen Johnson , the do-it-all forward who can shoot, score, pass, and defend as a 6-foot-8 frontcourt player. They've added a few quality players around him, including Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency and Dyson Daniels via trade, and are currently sitting in a play-in spot despite having a 15-19 record.
And yet, before the Hawks can go all-in on the Johnson era, they have to address their old franchise player in Trae Young , who remains on the team despite only appearing in 10 games so far this season.
Should the Hawks try to trade Young? Potentially so, but that might be easier said than done, as his production has taken a dip from his 2021-25 prime. Fortunately, Bill Simmons knows one NBA decisionmaker who might just be crazy enough to pull off a deal : Vivek Ranadivé.
"I think you could argue Atlanta now has stuck with Trae for too long and I don't think he has trade value anymore, I just don't. You're basically looking at Vivek," Simmons declared. "You're going around the league and you keep coming back to Vivek and be like, man, maybe he'll do it. But other than that I just think he's been in the league too long. I think we know what he is."
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Since his group purchased the Kings in 2013, Sacramento has made some of the moves in the NBA, from trading away Tyrese Haliburton to trading for Zach LaVine , and, well, most of the team's draft picks over the last decade. With the Kings going nowhere fast at this point, sitting at 8-24, would they be willing to take on Young and give back something of value in a deal, either straight up or as part of a larger deal for a player like Anthony Davis ? Fans will find out soon enough.
Related: Hawks' Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson off injury report vs. Timberwolves
Related: Why Lou Williams is finally ready for a Trae Young-Hawks trade
