When the Hawks moved on from Trae Young, they weren’t just trying to find a trade partner. They were trying to find the right kind of return - one that would respect what Young meant to the franchise and still leave Atlanta with flexibility down the road.
That search led them to the Washington Wizards in January, but there was another team in the mix before that deal came together: the Sacramento Kings. And according to a recent report, Atlanta had a very specific idea in mind for a swap that Sacramento ultimately passed on.
Kings insider James Ham said on a recent episode of Locked On Kings that Sacramento turned down a proposed Trae Young-Zach LaVine trade from Atlanta.
At the time, that kind of framework made sense from Atlanta’s side. Young was on a max contract, and any team interested in taking him on had to send out roughly $46 million to make the money work. The Hawks also needed to open up future cap space, which meant they weren’t just chasing talent - they were chasing timing and flexibility.
LaVine fit that part of the equation. He had a year left on his deal plus a player option when the conversation happened, so Atlanta would have been looking at a shorter financial commitment than the one Young carried. In practical terms, that would have meant LaVine on the books only for the upcoming season, with room to maneuver in the summer after.
The scoring upside was there too. LaVine would have given Atlanta a real boost for the stretch run last season and into the new year.
Instead, the Hawks ended up landing CJ McCollum in the Young deal, and that outcome has worked out in a different way. McCollum has already received a one-year extension, and he is set to make considerably less than LaVine next season. From Atlanta’s perspective, that makes Sacramento’s refusal look like a fortunate break.
The bigger picture hasn’t changed: Atlanta was always aiming for long-term flexibility over a quick fix. The Kings had the contract that could have made the math work, but not enough interest to close the deal.
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The camp battles matter because the roster is crowded and the Hawks do not get to keep everyone. There are 17 players in the room now, and that number has to come down before opening night, which means every practice and preseason stint carries extra weight for the young players and the veterans trying to hold their spots. For a team trying to look like a playoff contender from the start, those final decisions could end up saying as much about the season as the lineup card itself. [Read more 🡒]