Hot new trade idea sends Trae Young to Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns + draft picks to Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves both made big moves two seasons ago, but only one has worked so far. Atlanta sent a stack of draft picks to San Antonio for Dejounte Murray and Minnesota sent an even bigger stack of draft picks to Utah for Rudy Gobert. Since then, Minnesota has appeared in two playoffs and one conference final, and Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. Atlanta has a playoff appearance and an overwhelming amount of evidence that the Trae Young and Murray duo doesn’t work. This led most to believe that one of the two guards was going to be traded this offseason, but which one is up for debate?

Both teams have reached separate deals for other players in 2022, but could they be trade partners this time around? In a trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, the Hawks and Timberwolves trade star players, and Minnesota sends much-needed draft capital to Atlanta:

The Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, 2026 First Round Pick Swap and 2029 First Round Pick Swap

“During the summer of 2022, the Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks both made back-to-back trades that filled one end of their starting lineups.

Atlanta added Dejounte Murray to a backcourt that already featured Trae Young. Minnesota dropped Gobert into a frontcourt that already had Towns.

Obviously, the T’Wolves have had a bit more success with their roster experiment, but the fits haven’t been perfect in either spot. And now they have the opportunity to help each other find a little balance.

Young has been in trade rumors for months, and while his first offensive game could potentially change Minnesota’s identity, he is far more productive and 11 years younger than current Wolves point guard Mike Conley.

There would certainly be a bit of an adjustment period with Young and Anthony Edwards, whose ball prowess has developed over the course of this campaign, but they are adapting more naturally than Murray and Young. And Trae’s play, especially as a pick-and-roll ball handler and lob passer, would instantly make life easier for Gobert.

For Atlanta, this deal could provide some help in drafting assets, since Trae is three years younger than Towns and quarterbacks generally have a bit more value than receivers. And once again, this restores a little balance in the starting five.

Another trade involving Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu might be necessary, but Murray and Towns could be the foundation of a solid reverse offense. And surrounding those two with shots from Bogdan Bogdanović and Jalen Johnson would obviously help.

Figuring out the defense might take some time, but the Hawks weren’t exactly locking people up with Trae either. »

I’m still convinced the Hawks will keep Young, because I think they’re a better team with him and he gives them a higher ceiling than Murray (who is a very good player). Things could change of course, but I think the Hawks will end up keeping Young and trying to reorganize this roster around him.

But if they started thinking about trading him, would the Timberwolves express interest in acquiring Young? The Timberwolves had the best defense in the league last season and while Towns isn’t a terrible defender, he’s not a plus on that end of the floor either. If there’s any team that could cover Young on the defensive end, it’s probably Minnesota with Gobert, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. Minnesota’s offense was a problem at times last season and Young is one of the best offensive players in the league.

Putting Towns with Murray, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and whoever the No. 1 pick is could make the Hawks an interesting playoff team, but their ceiling would be a question. Is Murray, Towns, or Johnson capable of leading a team into a deep playoff run and being a No. 1 option? Could Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher or Donovan Clingan become this player? Maybe, but the ceiling of this Hawks team is in question if they made this trade. The Hawks don’t have much future draft capital due to the Murray trade and trading picks to Minnesota won’t be valuable with the Timberwolves as suitors.

As of right now, it’s just speculation, but it’s possible that Young, Towns, or both players could be traded this offseason. These two teams will be at the heart of trade conversations this offseason.