NBA Rumors: Trae Young on another Western Conference team's radar amid Lakers' interest in Hawks star
Amid the Atlanta Hawks' apparent offseason retool, the Utah Jazz reportedly attempted to trade for star point guard Trae Young to create a Big 3. However, their plan never came to fruition.
Following Atlanta's 10th-place (36-46) Eastern Conference finish this past season, Young and his co-star Dejounte Murray were heavily involved in trade rumors. Young, one of the NBA's premier scorers (25.7 ppg) and playmakers (10.8 apg) has long been mentioned as one of the LA Lakers' top trade targets.
However, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer's Monday report, Utah also engaged in trade talks for both Young and Murray. Fischer noted that the Jazz wanted to pair one of the star guards alongside star forward Lauri Markkanen. In doing so, they reportedly hoped to provide an alternative desirable free-agency destination for star wing Paul George.
"The Jazz held conversations with Atlanta about both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, sources said, and were working to assemble a group around Markkanen that could have possibly drawn George’s eye," Fischer wrote.
The Hawks instead shipped Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. A few days later, George teamed up with superstar center Joel Embiid and star guard Tyrese Maxey on the Philadelphia 76ers early Monday morning.
Utah is coming off a 12th-place (31-51) Western Conference finish and seemingly lacks a clear direction. So, it's uncertain if playing alongside Young/Murray and Markkanen would have intrigued George as much as joining Philly, an established title contender.
Nonetheless, acquiring Young or Murray likely would have helped the Jazz take a step forward in the competitive West.
Jazz could reportedly trade Lauri Markkanen after failed pursuit of Trae Young
After its failed pursuit of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, Utah could reportedly shift its attention toward another blockbuster move involving Lauri Markkanen.
Per Jake Fischer, the Jazz are "welcoming calls on Markkanen" and the Golden State Warriors "remain one of the few teams most connected to a pursuit of acquiring" him.
Utah dealing Markkanen, its leading scorer (23.2 points per game) in his prime (27), would likely signify a clear shift toward a full-on rebuild. Meanwhile, Golden State acquiring the one-time All-Star would help it retool around superstar point guard Steph Curry after losing shooting guard Klay Thompson in free agency.
However, Fischer noted that the Jazz may just be gauging Markkanen's trade value to see if they can sell high on him.
"This latest round of Markkanen trade conversations could very well just be the Jazz trying to gather information from interested teams, or an effort to solicit some kind of exorbitant offer," Fischer wrote.
Fischer added that Utah has "indicated to various parties around the NBA [it] would still like to renegotiate and extend Markkanen when the two sides become eligible to do so in August."
Thus, it appears Markkanen won't be on the move anytime soon unless the Warriors or another team make an undeniable offer.
Also Read: NBA rumors: Lakers linked to Zach LaVine, Trae Young as per fresh report