NBA Rumors: Hawks Could Pair Trae Young With Andre Drummond, ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks may once again be heading into the lottery this season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will no longer search for upgrades on the trade market before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Hawks recently engaged in a trade negotiation with the Detroit Pistons, who have started entertaining trade offers for All-Star center Andre Drummond. Though nothing is official until now, the Hawks have reportedly discussed sending a trade package that includes a future first-round pick and an expiring contract to the Pistons.
In his recent article, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report suggested a trade scenario that would send Drummond to the Hawks. In the proposed trade deal, the Hawks would trade Chandler Parsons and a future first-round selection to the Pistons in exchange for Drummond. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
Bailey believes that trading for Drummond makes a lot of sense for the Hawks. Aside from being a natural fit to their system, Drummond could also form an incredible tandem with Young in Atlanta.
“Young’s vision is off the charts, especially for a player his age (21). And if he’s coming off ball screens for Drummond, he’d command the attention of both pick-and-roll defenders. And that’d be true all the way out to 30 feet from the rim. That means plenty of open space for Drummond to roll to the rim. And that, in turn, should lead to loads of open dunks. The pressure Drummond puts on the space around the rim may pull defenders off the wings too.”
Though he’s only 21-years-old, Young is already playing like an All-Star. In his ongoing sophomore year, Young is averaging 28.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. Pairing Young with another rising superstar in Drummond wouldn’t immediately turn the Hawks into a legitimate title contender, but if they grow together and build good chemistry, Atlanta definitely has a very strong chance of becoming a serious threat in the Eastern Conference once again.
Meanwhile, in exchange for Drummond, Parsons’ expiring contract would allow the Pistons to free salary cap space in the summer of 2020, while the future first-round pick would be very useful if ever they decide to undergo a full-scale rebuild. However, the Pistons may be wanting more aside from salary cap relief and a future draft asset in exchange for Drummond. In the potential deal with the Hawks, the Pistons could ask for the inclusion of a young player or another future first-round pick in the trade package.
