The Atlanta Hawks seem to be at a crossroads after six seasons with Trae Young as their franchise star, as the team has regressed each year for the last three seasons. With Young’s name being brought up in trade rumors, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons shared an interesting destination for Young’s next team: The Miami Heat.
“Trae for Herro and [Duncan] Robinson and Miami’s pick in the draft. They’ll have to draft the guy and then trade him. And then their 29 unprotected first, and that’s the trade.”
Simmons shared the rationale behind why he thinks the Heat should target Young.
“You basically turn them into Herro and Robinson and some assets, and then if you’re Miami, you keep Butler. You have Bam, Trae, and Heat Culture—just the kind of guy who is a warrior. It would just seem like the kind of trade I’d be like, oh man, and then the more I look at him, I’m like, oh [expletive], that might actually have been a good trade for them. I don’t know why, but I like him in Miami for some reason.”
The Heat have been one of the weakest offensive teams in the NBA over the last two seasons. They can’t cite prior postseason success as a proven blueprint for their methods because it has ended with a Finals loss each time.
Miami knows they need a major guard scorer, which is why they relentlessly pursued a trade for Damian Lillard and then acquired Terry Rozier in February.
Trae averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists this season. He would transform the Heat’s offense, but if he plays the same defense as he does on the Hawks, he will not be able to fit into their system. It’d be a stylistic challenge for coach Erik Spoelstra, but if he could pull it off, there’s no available point guard on the market that’s better than Young.
What Would It Take For The Hawks To Send Young To The Heat?
In this scenario, the Hawks are making a move to get rid of Young because of the poor backcourt partnerships he’s formed with Dejounte Murray. But what’s hard to imagine is that Atlanta’s front office is looking at a deal for Young with players like Herro and Robinson, and then thinking it’s the deal they need to make.
The price has to be raised, with the Hawks within their rights to ask for three first-round picks and a young player like Nikola Jovic. Robinson may have more use on the Heat given he’s a system player, but a backcourt partnership between Dejounte and Herro in Atlantan could be more natural as they’re both combo guards.
Herro averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season but was injured for most of the year. His reliability has taken a hit and the Hawks would have to take a massive bet on making sure he finds a new identity for their franchise. Robinson is coming off his best season in Miami colors, averaging 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season.
The Heat will have to spruce up their offer regardless of what All-Star guard they’re targeting given the production they promise. For a team like the Heat, instant offense from Trae Young alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would transform the franchise’s on-court identity once again.
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