Trae Young Trade Idea to Land Star Guard with Miami Heat

The Atlanta Hawks must decide on the fate of All-Star point guard Trae Young. The time is near to commit to him long-term or move on.

The Miami Heat are invested in players like Bam Adebayo and All-Star Tyler Herro, but don't have Jimmy Butler to drag the group to the NBA Finals anymore.

Could the two teams that fought in the play-in for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference execute a Young blockbuster this summer as the Hawks retool and Miami reloads?

Full Trade Scenario

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Atlanta Hawks receive: Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jović, Pelle Larsson, 2025 No. 20 (Golden State Warriors), Miami 2030 protected first-rounder, $19.4 million trade exception

Miami Heat receive: Trae Young

Note: The trade wouldn't be executed until July 6, after the NBA's annual moratorium. The Miami 2030 first-rounder would have lottery protection in the first year, then go unprotected in 2031 to Atlanta.

The assumption is that Robinson won't use his early termination option on his $19.9 million salary. Once he's officially locked in for 2025-26, only $9.9 million will be guaranteed.

Terry Rozier's $26.6 million is almost entirely guaranteed ($24.9 million), but Miami locks in the full amount prior to the trade.

Atlanta would use the Dejounte Murray trade exception (otherwise, expiring on July 7) for Robinson and Jović. The Hawks would have a $1.5 million balance on the Cody Zeller trade exception (expiring 2/6/26) for Larsson and a $9.2 million balance on the Bojan Bogdanović trade exception (also 2/6/26). The $19.4 million trade exception generated in the deal would be for Young, less Rozier's salary.

Miami triggers a second-apron hard cap in the deal via aggregation. Atlanta would have a first-apron hard cap for using preexisting trade exceptions.

Young would receive a (relatively) small trade bonus, just under $400,000.

Why the Atlanta Hawks Do It

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The Atlanta Hawks are a curiosity after letting go of top basketball decision-maker Landry Fields. The team consistently is a middle-of-the-pack entry, either losing in the play-in tournament or the first round.

The 2020-21 run to the Eastern Conference Finals was so long ago that it shouldn't be used to judge the merits of the current roster.

Young is the Hawks' best player, but are they ready to reinvest? He's entering his final year at $46 million, assuming he opts out of his final year's $49 million to explore free agency in 2026 (when several teams project to have spending power).

If the answer is "yes," then never mind; however, several competing executives aren't sold that Young will be in Atlanta beyond his current deal. The Hawks are likely to bring in a new president of basketball operations to work with new general manager Onsi Saleh to make the call on Young.

Regarding the return from Miami: Young is a polarizing player who can also scare off teams he doesn't favor (similar to how De'Aaron Fox landed in San Antonio from the Sacramento Kings). The market may be drier than Hawks fans hope. Atlanta gets three young players in Jaquez, Jović and Larsson. The contracts of Rozier and Robinson are expiring and can be flipped in subsequent moves.

The Hawks also land an immediate first-round pick and a future one from Miami. While Atlanta might seek more from the Heat (or other suitors), the Heat's return is on par with what the Kings got for Fox.

Why the Miami Heat Do It

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The Heat have two big men who can help protect the paint in Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware. Andrew Wiggins is still a solid wing with defensive chops. The All-Star backcourt of Young and Herro would be difficult for teams to deal with but would present defensive issues for coach Erik Spoelstra.

If Young is the best veteran star Miami can add this summer, would the team balk at the price? Young would expect a new, long-term extension, with Miami investing heavily in the threesome (with Herro and Adebayo). Wiggins' salary expires after 2026-27 (assuming he opts in at $30.2 million), but he and Kyle Anderson could be other players Miami looks to relocate.

The Heat would also bring back Davion Mitchell, a strong performer this postseason. The franchise can avoid the luxury tax entirely this year, or spend a little to add another rotation player.

The risk for Miami would be on the offensive firepower vs. the defensive liability pairing of Young and Herro, and how much the bigs can offset those issues. It's not a "no-brainer," but the talent upgrade may be hard to argue against, provided the Heat believe Young is an answer to the team's missing offensive firepower.

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