Grade the Trade: Raptors join Trae Young deal, add former All-Star in new proposal

Why the Hawks make this trade

For the Atlanta Hawks, this could reasonably be the best offer they can find for Trae Young. Most teams in the league have a lead ball-handler already in place, or else they are not in position to make an all-in trade for an expensive star in his prime. To get a deal like this would be a solid return.

Austin Reaves and Bojan Bogdanovic are both solid secondary playmakers, so pairing the two when Dejounte Murray is off the court could be all that is required for the regular rotation. Rui Hachimura gives them another forward option to work in with DeAndre Hunter, Jalen Johnson and Saddiq Bey, while Vanderbilt is a defensive weapon to keep around or flip to another team. 

The best part of the deal are the draft picks, which help to restock the cupboard after sending out three years of draft control to the San Antonio Spurs in the Dejounte Murray deal. The Lakers’ picks may be less valuable now with Young on the team to help weather the transition when LeBron leaves or retires, but at the same time the Hawks just managed to land the No. 1 pick with Young on their team; he clearly won’t prevent a team from being bad on his own, and the flattened lottery odds mean even later lottery picks are still valuable upside plays.

The Hawks would have depth across the roster and still have the No. 1 pick to add another high-end talent. It wouldn’t be the perfect solution, but it would be a strong one.

We’ve looked at this deal from the angle of the Lakers and the Hawks; what about the Raptors? Should Toronto make this trade?