Rumors have been swirling about Trae Young and where the star guard will end up. Atlanta appears set on moving on, but does Young make sense for the Milwaukee Bucks? Maybe, but only if they are incentivized with draft compensation.
The Bucks need draft capital in any Trae Young trade
The opportunity for Milwaukee to acquire a player of Trae Young’s caliber without surrendering significant assets strengthens the case for making the move. Young may be the best player on the market whom the Bucks could realistically trade for without having to part with their coveted 2031 first-round pick.
If the Bucks can get Young without giving up their pick, and actually receive draft compensation in return. A trade has to be at least considered in that scenario. Why Milwaukee should receive assets comes down to Young's obtuse salary ($46 million this season and a $49 million option for next year) and his clear deficiencies on the defensive end.
Atlanta also appears to be ready to move on from Trae Young to develop their young core centered on Wisconsin native Jalen Johnson. Young has been a negative in the lineup so far this year, so selling on him for pennies on the dollar isn't something people around the league are questioning. This bodes well for Milwaukee's leverage and need for draft compensation in a deal.
This team is already bad on defense (Young will only make that worse). However, Trae Young is an offensive engine in and of himself. The trade-off for a better offense (on paper) could lift the team's floor high enough to overcome the issues on the defensive end. Having Rollins (a bona fide defender) next to Young will help with that in a way the Damian Lillard version of the Milwaukee Bucks never had.
The case against the move is that bringing in Trae Young may do more harm than good. With the encouraging play from Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins lately, bringing in Young might disrupt their development. The Bucks' issues this season have primarily been on the wing, on the glass, and on defense. Trae Young doesn't solve any of those issues.
If you were trying to sell yourself on Trae Young as a Bucks fan, the first point would be that he is essentially a younger version of Damian Lillard. At 26, Young shares many of Lillard’s strengths as a shot-maker and creator, along with similar defensive limitations. If he could fill Lillard's role while aligning more closely with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s timeline and the Bucks could acquire him while also receiving draft capital, that is a scenario the front office would have to consider.