When the Atlanta Hawks needed to trade their franchise star, they got pennies on the dollar. When the Los Angeles Lakers were quietly positioning themselves to do the same last year, they got a blockbuster that is still talked about to it day (case and point here).
Marc Stein originally caught wind of momentum picking up between the Hawks and the Washington Wizards on a Trae Young trade. There were plenty who were waiting on Young to relocate since last season. Shams Charania made it official tonight, announcing the deal was complete.
Charania reported, "BREAKING: The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time NBA All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, sources tell ESPN."
An expiring contract and Corey Kispert. That is all the Hawks managed to secure in return for a four-time All-Star and the player who has been the face of their franchise since the 2018 NBA Draft. It is a wildly smaller compensation by comparison to what the Lakers managed with Anthony Davis.
Lakers managed to do with Anthony Davis what the Hawks completely failed at with Trae Young
Simply put, when the Lakers were ready to ship out one of their franchise players, they got Luka Doncic. That's the short version. The long version is even better.
Perhaps one could argue the Lakers simply took an opportunity in front of them when the Dallas Mavericks called their phone. The Doncic trade fell into their lap. That account of the story is only half right.
It is certainly true that Los Angeles was gifted Doncic at a premium discount. However, if the rumors from back then are true, the Lakers were already quietly exploring a move to send Davis out of town.
The intent was there. Feelers were being put out. That sly maneuvering and opportunism is what led to their franchise and future getting a complete reset for the post-LeBron James era.
What do the Hawks have to show for the Young trade?
They managed to escape his hefty contract. That's a win. McCollum's $30.7 million deal will come off the books once the season is over, offering Atlanta the financial flexibility that comes with that. That's nice. What else?
Kispert is a solid role player in the NBA, that's true. The former Wizards small forward is shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. That offers a boost to any team.
That's it. That's the end of the haul.
Make no mistake about it: Young is not Davis. The latter is the far superior player and would have netted much more in any trade scenario. However, the Hawks' get-back here really does look miserable. They couldn't even get a single draft pick.