The new year is a great time to reset, to wipe the slate clean or push your way into a new chapter of life. Unfortunately, with the NBA season having already started two months ago, there’s no restarting at 0-0 for some of the teams that could really use it.
Instead, with the NBA Trade Deadline only a month away on Feb. 2, it’s best to view this time of year as one for growth through changing habits, maybe bringing something new and fun into your life or even cutting something out.
Let’s start with that last point.
Something has to change in Atlanta. For four straight seasons, the Hawks have found themselves in the Play-In Tournament and look to be well on their way to a fifth consecutive year. As of Friday, they’re the 10th seed in the East with a 16-19 record.
They don’t have to be this way, and it seems as though they’re starting to come to grips with that. The issue doesn’t only fall onto Trae Young‘s shoulders, but since the guard has returned from injury in mid-December, the Hawks are 0-5 in games he’s played and had lost seven straight until they beat the Timberwolves 126-102 on New Year’s Eve without Young in the lineup. They’re 14-11 without him this season.
Those struggles with Young in the lineup have forced the front office to have some tough conversations, with insiders reporting that they’re looking at ways to offload the eighth-year guard.
On Sunday, Marc Stein wrote that the Hawks are having conversations about moving on from their franchise point guard, saying that “there is a growing belief leaguewide that the Hawks are more open to trading him away than they’ve ever been.”
Young is under contract for $45.9 million this season and has a player option worth $48.9 million in 2026-27 that he might decline, so not only are the Hawks faring better without Young in the lineup, they also may not want to risk losing him in for nothing free agency. However, they haven’t exactly pushed to extend him in order to avoid that possibility, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective podcast that the Hawks are indicating that they’re “looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young. They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case with the face of your franchise, that’s a pretty clear message that the end could be near.”
With a few contenders looking to add a point guard to bolster their case this season — the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns stand out as possibilities — adding Young as a high-ceiling rental with the possibility of convincing him to stay long-term could be appealing.
MacMahon did make it clear, however, that getting a palatable return for Young might be tough, as his defensive ineptitude and the Hawks’ struggles with him on the floor may lead to a decreased value. But Young’s offensive talent is undeniable, having led the NBA in assists last season with 11.6 a game while scoring 24.2 a night.
The Hawks have found a groove without Young in the lineup: Jalen Johnson is on the verge of his first All-Star nod, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is ready for a starting role, and the team’s identity feels more fleshed out when Young isn’t there. It might be time to move on.
While the Hawks could be looking to transition to a new era without the face of their franchise, the Mavericks may seek to do the same in order to build around the new go-to guy in Dallas.
Though the initial hope once the Mavs landed Cooper Flagg was to build a contender around him and Anthony Davis, the West is too deep and Davis is too unavailable.
Despite only playing 16 games, however, Davis’s market still appears to be hot, with teams checking in on his availability and the Mavericks openly shopping him in hopes of honing in on the core around Flagg.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Mavs reached out to the Golden State Warriors to gauge their interest in the big man and inquire about wing Jonathan Kuminga, who can’t be traded until Jan. 15.
However, to make salaries match, one of Draymond Green ($25.8 million) or Jimmy Butler ($54.1 million) would likely have to be included, as Kuminga’s $22.5 million salary isn’t enough to match Davis’s $54.1 million. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has come out and said that they don’t intend to move Green, and sources confirmed to Amick that moving on from the career Warrior isn’t in their plans. Stein also confirmed that, while the Warriors have held discussions, they aren’t actively pursuing Davis.
Could the Hawks be a trade partner instead? As Atlanta seeks to move on from Young and the Mavericks are looking to do the same with Davis, a swap could be possible. The Hawks have struggled with centre depth, as free-agent signing Kristaps Porzingis continues his poor run of health, and leaning more into a defensive identity around Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Davis could make sense.
The Hawks have interest in Davis, according to Stein, but the hang-up comes in the return.
Unfortunately, while the Mavericks are keen on sending Davis to Atlanta, they have no interest in Young and intend to move forward with Kyrie Irving as their point guard once he returns from a torn ACL, according to MacMahon.
A possibility, according to Stein, could be former first-overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, who has struggled in his sophomore season, paired with Porzingis’ and Luke Kennard’s expiring deals.
Finally in a No. 1 role following his off-season trade to Brooklyn, Porter Jr. has blossomed into a star.
The seventh-year forward is averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while maintaining his efficiency at 49.6 per cent from the field and 41.0 per cent from three.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors, Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls are all teams to watch for Porter Jr. Other than Detroit, all these teams find themselves in the bottom half of the NBA in offensive rating, and Porter Jr. may be the best plug-and-play solution available ahead of Feb. 2.
ESPN’s Tim Legler, in an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, said that Porter Jr. has “completely changed” his trade value because of his offensive surge.
“The fact that he can do this offensively — even though it’s a team that’s not winning a lot of games — I do think now there’s probably more teams that would look at him, that are sort of those middle-of-the-road playoff teams, and go, ‘Man, that would be nice to add that kind of scoring punch.'”
Porter Jr. won’t come cheap, carrying a $38.3 million salary for this season and is on the books for the 2026-27 season for $40 million. So while the Nets aren’t looking to contend and should be sellers come the deadline, not only are they in no rush to deal him, but any contender looking to acquire his services will have to put together enough salary to make something work.