Western Conference team expected to hold interest in potential Trae Young trade

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.

The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly interested in acquiring Trae Young via trade. According to Marc Stein, via his SteinLine newsletter, the Spurs are seen as a “viable destination” should the Atlanta Hawks make the guard available.

“San Antonio tops the perceived list,” Stein reported. “The Spurs have circulated for months among prominent league observers as a viable destination for Young’s offensive gifts. In Victor Wembanyama, they also seemingly possess precisely the sort of long and rangy defensive anchor who could mitigate Young’s defensive deficiencies. It is likewise believed in some corners of the league that Young would have interest in South Texas as a destination if he were forced to leave Atlanta.”

Young would be an ideal second star next to Victor Wembanyama. His scoring gravity would take some of the defensive pressure off Wembanyama’s shoulders.

Furthermore, Young is a gifted playmaker. Putting him in pick-and-roll situations with the impressive rookie would likely be a cheat code Gregg Popovich could spam throughout games.

San Antonio has a roster full of young talent. They could produce an intriguing trade package if the Hawks did make Young available. If the Spurs did land the All-Star guard, they would instantly be viewed as a playoff team.

However, they would still be multiple moves away from being a contender. Nevertheless, the Spurs will likely be focused on making incremental improvements. Wembanyama will need multiple seasons to continue improving. He’s not ready to spearhead a championship run yet.

Adding Young would give the Spurs the one-two punch they need to be competitive. However, given his lack of postseason success with the Hawks, it’s unlikely he would show much patience beyond his current contract.

A trade for Young would help in the short term, but it could put too much pressure on the Spurs front office to build a contender. That pressure won’t be conducive to developing the talent at their disposal.

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