NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
New Orleans acquires Trae Young in a blockbuster trade while giving up C.J. McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, E.J. Liddell, and four first-round picks in the process. The four first-rounders are the 2024 Lakers first-rounder (which has a chance of conferring to the loaded 2025 draft class), the 2025 Bucks first-rounder, a 2026 Pelicans first-rounder, and a 2027 Bucks first-rounder. Moreover, on top of that, the Pelicans also give up the rookie which they recently drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jordan Hawkins, who is a solid shooter although his minutes are erratic. They also give up another young player in E.J. Liddell and veteran starting point guard, C.J. McCollum. Overall, given that he is a star player and a highly-talented floor general, Trae Young should fit seamlessly on the Pelicans. Furthermore, here are three reasons as to why the Pelicans make this trade:
Talent Upgrade
Going from C.J. McCollum to Trae Young as the Pelicans' starting point guard is a massive talent upgrade, not to mention, the fit would be better considering Trae Young is a better and more natural floor general at PG for the Pelicans than C.J. McCollum in terms of feeding Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram the ball and getting each of them the ball in their respective comfort zones (mid-range for Brandon Ingram and at the rim for Zion Williamson), not to mention Trae Young also forms a Big 3 in New Orleans with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson
Better Timeline Fit
At 25 years old currently, Trae Young is a year younger than Brandon Ingram and two years older than Zion Williamson, which makes him a significantly better fit with the Pelicans' timeline in comparison to C.J. McCollum, who is 32 years old, so Trae Young can keep the Pelicans' title contention window open longer than C.J. McCollum could
Superior Fit
Trae Young can massively diversify the Pelicans' offense as he can find Brandon Ingram for spot-up threes and mid-range shots and unleash Zion Williamson in the pick-and-roll as both a lob threat and rim-running big, which is the natural style of play of Zion Williamson and a way that the Pelicans should look to feature Zion Williamson more in, and with one of Dyson Daniels or Herbert Jones, Trae Young's defensive weaknesses are covered for as both Dyson Daniels and Herbert Jones are quality perimeter defenders and the two best perimeter defenders on the Pelicans, which mask the defensive shortcomings of Trae Young as they both complement Trae Young in the backcourt for the Pelicans
Overall, this move makes the Pelicans true contenders and a force in the West for the next decade. Now, following this trade, the Pelicans have the following starting lineup to open the 2024-25 NBA season, which will cement their place as contenders in the West for the foreseeable future going forward:
Trae Young - Herbert Jones - Brandon Ingram - Zion Williamson - Jonas Valanciunas
ATLANTA HAWKS
Atlanta only does this if Trae Young requests a trade (which is TBD, currently). However, even then, this offer is something for the Hawks to truly ponder on. First off, they receive a veteran sharpshooting guard in C.J. McCollum, who is an excellent fit alongside Dejounte Murray in their backcourt. The skillsets of C.J. McCollum and Dejounte Murray complement one another ideally. They fit better than Atlanta's current backcourt pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray from an offensive standpoint, all in all. Furthermore, the Hawks also receive a young sharpshooter who also fits great with Dejounte Murray in the form of Jordan Hawkins. Either one of C.J. McCollum or Jordan Hawkins will fit well in the backcourt for the Hawks next to Dejounte Murray. Also, due to the fact that the Hawks do not own a significant chunk of their future draft capital, should they choose to move forward with Dejounte Murray as their chief playmaker going forward, pairing Dejounte Murray with sharpshooting guards such as C.J. McCollum and Jordan Hawkins can help Atlanta stay afloat and win games, unless they receive a package which sees the Hawks get the vast majority of their draft capital back. In any case, C.J. McCollum and Jordan Hawkins (who can see more consistent minutes and developmental opportunities on a transitioning and retooling team such as the Hawks in this scenario) next to Dejounte Murray can keep Atlanta competitive and sustainably competitive in the East, going forward. Moreover, the Hawks receive four first-round picks over the course of the next three drafts, so they replenish draft capital here, and will have the opportunity to complete a quick retool if that ends up being Atlanta's preferred direction. The Hawks also receive a young backup power forward behind Jalen Johnson in E.J. Liddell. The combination of youth, win-now talent, veteran experience, and draft capital that this package from the Pelicans provides makes this a highly-lucrative and intriguing offer for the Hawks to truly think about, if they decide to move on from Trae Young for whatever reason and/or Trae Young decides to move on and request a trade from the Hawks. Overall, given these reasons and this ideology, the Hawks will now move forward with the following starting lineup, after this trade:
C.J. McCollum - Dejounte Murray - De'Andre Hunter - Jalen Johnson - Clint Capela/Onyeka Okongwu
Overall, New Orleans creates a Big 3 by trading for Trae Young and pairing Trae Young with their star forward duo of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. From a skills perspective, Trae Young could be the type of player who can help Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson and optimize them as a duo for the Pelicans going forward. Atlanta re-shuffles the deck and opts for a quick retool around Dejounte Murray, if the Hawks choose to move on from Trae Young in favor of making Dejounte Murray (whom they traded for two years ago from the Spurs) the team's main floor general, moving forward.