Two weeks into the season, the Atlanta Hawks are in an unexpected position: evaluating whether their strong play without Trae Young should change how they approach his future. Theyâre 8â5, winners of four straight, and thriving with ball movement and balance. Meanwhile, Ja Morantâs situation in Memphis continues to unravel, pushing a once-theoretical ideaâTrae Young for Ja Morantâcloser to reality.
Bleacher Reportâs Eric Pincus proposed the clean, one-for-one deal. Earlier this year it was easy to dismiss. Today, it forces Atlanta to think.
Why Atlanta Has to Consider This Conversation
Young still hasnât agreed to an extension, and he can decline his $49 million player option next summer. Losing a franchise star for nothing is the worst-case scenario, so the Hawks canât afford to be passive.
Their on-court results without him also matter. Atlanta is 6â2 since Youngâs MCL sprain, playing with a freer, more explosive style. The Hawks rank third in the NBA in assists per game (30.1), and their recent win over Utah showcased their new identity.
Jalen Johnson delivered 31 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists, and seven steals, while Onyeka Okongwu hit eight threes. Atlanta dropped 24 threes total and logged 36 assists. This wasnât luckâit was a system flourishing without a ball-dominant guard.
Johnson has led the team in assists in five of the eight games without Young, functioning as a point forward and giving the Hawks a blueprint for lineup versatility theyâve never fully explored.
Atlanta doesnât want to move on from Young. But given the contract timeline and how well this group is playing, the front office has to examine whether another star guard might align better with where the roster is trending.
Thatâs where Morant becomes intriguing.
Why the Hawks Could Believe They Can Unlock Morant
Morantâs numbersâ18.9 points, 8.1 assists on poor efficiencyâarenât the real concern. The bigger issue is his disconnect from Memphis. Reports of tension with head coach Tuomas Iisalo, a lack of joy, and the weight of off-court controversy have left the franchise unsure of its future with him.
For Atlanta, this raises a clear question:
Is the Morant in Memphis the floor, not the ceiling?
The belief would be that a change of sceneryâaway from the emotional baggage of the past two seasonsâcould reset his career. That idea isnât coming from speculation alone.
On the No Fouls Given Podcast, Paul Pierce emphasized how a fresh environment can shift a playerâs trajectory:
âSometimes it’s not about the city. It’s just a change of scenery⦠Iâm sure he will understand that he will be a target here and he will put himself in a position to where he needs to see the moment.â
Pierce isnât calling Atlanta a riskâheâs calling it an opportunity.
Danny Green expanded on how Atlantaâs infrastructure could stabilize Morant:
âWhen you have more access to the resources, you donât feel the need to go to it all the time⦠If Iâm in Atlanta, it’s like, all right, cool. I donât need to go out⦠I got access to more opportunities here to kick it with my people.â
For the Hawks, those comments reinforce a core idea:
Atlanta might be the environment where Morant matures and re-centers, unlocking the version Memphis no longer sees.
And unlike most teams whoâd gamble on him, the Hawks have the personnelâJohnson, Okongwu, Porzingis, a deep rotationâto support a star guard without overburdening him.
What This Actually Means for Atlanta
The Hawks donât need to act immediately. Theyâre winning, their young core is ascending, and Young remains one of the leagueâs elite offensive engines when healthy.
But Morantâs potential availability shifts the calculus. If Atlanta believes it can revitalize himâand raise its ceiling in the processâthe trade becomes more than a contract hedge. It becomes a strategic pivot toward a different, possibly higher trajectory.
This isnât a move the Hawks must make.
But for the first time, itâs a move they legitimately have to consider.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blockbuster Trade Idea Signals Hawks Giving Up on Trae Young appeared first on Heavy Sports.