Hawks open to trading Trae Young; Why the Celtics should avoid pursuing him

Trae Young could find himself on the trade block as we get closer to the Feb. 5 deadline, according to a Dec. 29 report by Marc Stein. The All-Star guard has been with the Atlanta Hawks since being drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2018.

“There is a growing belief leaguewide that the Hawks are more open to trading him away than they’ve ever been, but what happens to their payroll if no such trade materializes and Young winds up exercising that option? Can the Hawks dare to find out by trading for Davis this winter without Young exiting at the same time?” Stein wrote.

As a retooling team, the Boston Celtics are likely to be floated as a potential trade destination when stars become available. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Young and Boston are mentioned in the same sentence in the coming weeks.

However, Boston would be wise to steer clear of the four-time All-Star. Young is one of the best offensive guards in the NBA. Yet, his defensive limitations are a genuine concern and have hindered the Hawks’ ability to build a legitimate contender around him.

According to DunksandThrees, which measures impact using Estimated Plus/Minus, Young is among the 10 worst defenders in the NBA with a -2.1 DEPM, placing him in the bottom percentile.

Despite all the talk about the Celtics’ three-point-heavy offense and the effectiveness of Mazzulla-ball, Boston’s identity is still on the defensive side of the floor. The Celtics are at their best when playing lock-down defense and limiting teams to single-shot possessions. Having Young as a primary member of the rotation would likely force that identity to change, not for the better.

There’s no denying that Boston needs to add some more talent to its roster. Nevertheless, Young isn’t the answer. Brad Stevens and the front office would be better served by searching for a starting-level big man to anchor the paint and address some of the team’s defensive rebounding issues.

Young is a star talent. He’s just not the sort of talent the Celtics need with the current roster construction.