unpopular opinion on Trae Young

[TimmyBuckets]

Trae on this team even as is becomes an automatic playoff team. Surround them with good support and they're a contender. It would be an insane duo. Trae is a beast. IDC if he can't play D if he's dropping 30 and 11.

[BacktoBasics]

The experiment aside. I wonder if a Trae less Hawks team is better than us. Seems just on paper our team is a better fit for him than the Hawks.

[scott]

So you would trade five 1st picks for him? Let’s say all the Hawks picks and the Spurs 25 and 26 FRP?

for me, if he waives his trade kicker, the Hawks accept their 26 swap and 27 plus the worst of the Spurs-Hawks 2025 plus they take Collins contract, yes I’d do it.

Depends on which 5 picks we are talking about. If it’s CHA + CHI + TOR + SA ‘27 + SA ‘29, then yeah probably… if it’s the deal you laid out… probably not. Of course the price matters. I wouldn’t throw the entire warchest at Trae Young.

[CorrectCrusader]

It's funny how some of y'all hate Brian Wrong and his draft record but don't want to trade picks for a proven star player that would fit along our future MVP.

[objective]

Nice cherry picking out of context, just what I was waiting for.

2021
First round against, Knicks, won in 5: 29/10 with just 3 turnovers on 44/34/92

Second round, Sixers, won in 7: 29/11 with 3.6 turnovers on 39/32/85

Conference finals, Bucks, played three games and got injured, wasn't healthy for G6: 32/6 on 48/31/81

2022
This is the series that was really bad, Heat destroyed them, he averaged just 15/6 on horrible 31/18/78
Both Capela and Bogdanovic were not healthy, Collins finger was already ed up and it was all on Trae.
Still a horrible series, but they had no business being in that one.

2023
Lost in 6 against Boston: 29/10 on 40/33/86, 4 turnovers.
After a slow start in first two games, averaged 34/12 on 42/36/93 in final four games.
Including a 38/13 G5 in Boston to extend the series.


For example last year SGA had 5/19 against Timberwolves in play-in, just 3 assists.
Is anyone doubting him?

Trae's number are more or less comparable with Morant's and he had a way better supporting cast.
Noone's doubting him when it comes to basketball, just off the court antics.

Mitc averaged 23/7 with 4 turnovers on 43/28/72 against the Knicks last year, yet some people are trying to push him into MVP discussion.

There hasn't been one small guard good enough to lead a championship team ever since Jerry West up until Steph showed up.
And it doesn't seem like that will change.
But plenty of them excelled as second options.
Why did I list all these stats? To show you that small guards as first option in the modern NBA aren't efficent when they have to be volume scorers.

You're picking on a guy who's best teammate on offense was Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Noone else on that Hawks team was capable of creating his own shot.

There's a huge difference between Capela and Wemby as his potential PNR partners.
You take the lob away and Capela is useless, can even foul him because he's a FT shooter.

Maybe I'm wrong and you're right, but I'm at least trying to look at potential Trae trade objectively and I'm trying to compare him to similar players, while your take is just whataboutism and nonsense like checking his percentages when he was severely overmatched.

Kid showed up when it mattered the most in NY, Phily and Boston. He's got the right mentality.
I'd rather have that than some efficent nice guy who goes missing in the playoffs.

Rant over.

Trae is not Steph. Steph is a #1 option on a championship team. We don‘t need Trae to be that, we need him to be a 2nd option

I agree with these

Wemby is the number one, Trae would be the number 2 who helps #1 be even better

Devin ain't that guy, and neither is anyone else on the roster.

Yes he's making Max money, but that's just how it is. The only hangup I might have is if Trae being a SuperMax currently would prevent them from being able to offer a super to Wemby, but I don't think it would. I think there are some cap details about limits on the number of super max a team can have that depends on draft vs free agency vs trade but I don't remember in detail

There's just no other way to get a player this good despite the flaws.

Quickley might not be gettable even if offered the max because Toronto could match.

The best player the Spurs ever got in free agency, Aldridge, was an over sensitive #2 beta who was more likely to disappear in the playoffs than have a great game. He was never happy, always whining or jealous or pouting, crying about touches, asking for trades, crying about not wanting to play center, and eventually quit on the team and was never a leader of any sort.

And that might be the best case for a Max player in free agency lol

Even if there's a potential for overpay, I say take it. Atlanta picks plus a Spurs unprotected, add Chicago. , add a Spurs 27 pick lotto protected that converts to 2 seconds.

Teams are asking for the moon for #2s as it is, with the high demands that Utah and Brooklyn supposedly have for Markkanen and Bridges. Young probably won't be cheap or a bargain, but that's the cost of doing business.

[z0sa]

people on this board act like we didn’t win a le in DOMINATING fashion, including sweeping the early incarnation of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, with ing Avery Johnson at PG.

Trae Young instantly makes us a playoff team, maybe better IE dark horse. Ima be straight up selfish too and say man, THOSE would be some fun games to watch. If we dont win it all in 2-3 years but Wemby’s happy, WGAF???? He will be all of 23 or so.

Yall are crazy.

[CorrectCrusader]

people on this board act like we didn’t win a le in DOMINATING fashion, including sweeping the early incarnation of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, with ing Avery Johnson at PG.

Trae Young instantly makes us a playoff team, maybe better IE dark horse. Ima be straight up selfish too and say man, THOSE would be some fun games to watch. If we dont win it all in 2-3 years but Wemby’s happy, WGAF???? He will be all of 23 or so.

Yall are crazy.

Absolutely agree. Trae is the best lob passer in the NBA bar none, him with Wemby would be special.

[manufan10]

If my criticism of his unwillingness to move without the ball and his papier-mâché defense makes me a hater, then sure, I accept the label. But I’ve always felt that those notes were fair and true, just as it’s true now that Young deserves credit for putting in more defensive effort than ever before. It’s apparent from just watching games, as he slides laterally to better stay in front of opponents and attentively makes rotations. But it’s also true in the stats sheet, as he’s posting career highs in deflections and charges drawn per game. On offense, Young isn’t moving off the ball quite as much as I believe he still can, but he’s doing it more often than he used to to fulfill his role in Quin Snyder’s offense and fit next to Murray. Other teams should see great appeal in him as a player about to enter his prime.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2...trade-deadline

[scott]

A lot of the criticisms folks have about Young could be said about Vassell, it's pretty interesting.

[Kevin]

A lot of the criticisms folks have about Young could be said about Vassell, it's pretty interesting.

Let’s see Devin be 25/10 guy like Young. That Dev extension is looking questionable. He gets paid a lot to be a streaky shooter and a subpar defender.

[objective]

I suspect that Young would be better for Vassell and Sochan as well.

Sochan as a cutter is something he's primed for and good at. If anything he can finish lobs like John Collins and finish in transition like Jalen Johnson is doing now also.

I'd lové to see Vassell as a play finisher and shooter rather than having to work so hard to generate shots in iso like he does now. Vassell is probably better suited 5o playing next to Young than Murray is and Murray puts up numbers next to him.

[mo7888]

It doesn't matter to me if you like Trae or not, but at some point you need to consider what other teams can and are willing to offer for him before throwing around these huge offers. Starting this summer with the 2nd apron picks are going to be much more valuable than in the past.

[exstatic]

It doesn't matter to me if you like Trae or not, but at some point you need to consider what other teams can and are willing to offer for him before throwing around these huge offers. Starting this summer with the 2nd apron picks are going to be much more valuable than in the past.

He’s been shopped for the better part of a year.

The second apron is why posters here are going to be surprised by what Graham returns at the deadline. A team can amputate $10M from their 2025 salary structure by cutting him and only paying the $2.5M guarantee. Teams that are over the second apron in 2 of 3 years have their pick moved to the end of the first round automatically, with no appeal, and it’s untradeable. One more offense in a4 year window, and they lose the pick altogether.

Atlanta is probably still salty about the DJ deal. It wouldn’t matter if we made a good offer. They would want more from us than they would from other teams.

Sometimes, a deal just isn’t possible. I’m looking for some land, and I found a nice small parcel. The problem is, the land assessed at $29,000 and they’re asking $80,000. There isn’t even an offer you can put on the table that will end up through negotiation anywhere near $29K.

[mo7888]

He’s been shopped for the better part of a year.

The second apron is why posters here are going to be surprised by what Graham returns at the deadline. A team can amputate $10M from their 2025 salary structure by cutting him and only paying the $2.5M guarantee. Teams that are over the second apron in 2 of 3 years have their pick moved to the end of the first round automatically, with no appeal, and it’s untradeable. One more offense in a4 year window, and they lose the pick altogether.

Atlanta is probably still salty about the DJ deal. It wouldn’t matter if we made a good offer. They would want more from us than they would from other teams.

Sometimes, a deal just isn’t possible. I’m looking for some land, and I found a nice small parcel. The problem is, the land assessed at $29,000 and they’re asking $80,000. There isn’t even an offer you can put on the table that will end up through negotiation anywhere near $29K.

I like the land analogy.

Agree on all points there.

[CGD]

It doesn't matter to me if you like Trae or not, but at some point you need to consider what other teams can and are willing to offer for him before throwing around these huge offers. Starting this summer with the 2nd apron picks are going to be much more valuable than in the past.

Very important. And I’ll say the quiet part, is he even worth what some of these other stars got? I suspect his market is more frigid than we appreciate right now.

[objective]

He’s been shopped for the better part of a year.

The second apron is why posters here are going to be surprised by what Graham returns at the deadline. A team can amputate $10M from their 2025 salary structure by cutting him and only paying the $2.5M guarantee. Teams that are over the second apron in 2 of 3 years have their pick moved to the end of the first round automatically, with no appeal, and it’s untradeable. One more offense in a4 year window, and they lose the pick altogether.

Atlanta is probably still salty about the DJ deal. It wouldn’t matter if we made a good offer. They would want more from us than they would from other teams.

Sometimes, a deal just isn’t possible. I’m looking for some land, and I found a nice small parcel. The problem is, the land assessed at $29,000 and they’re asking $80,000. There isn’t even an offer you can put on the table that will end up through negotiation anywhere near $29K.

Sorry, but who has been shopped for the better part of the year?

It's not Trae Young, because Atlanta has been consistent and adamant that he's untouchable and off limits along with Jalen Johnson. The chatter is just people reasonably observing that they're pretty much trapped in non contending after the Murray deal disappointed.

And the statements about Wemby that Young made that people made content out of. It's actually surprising that Young hasn't blown things up with an under the table trade demand or "sources say Trae wants out!". He's actually been pretty patient and good about things for someone in his position

[objective]

Very important. And I’ll say the quiet part, is he even worth what some of these other stars got? I suspect his market is more frigid than we appreciate right now.

I agree that the market for him is limited more than for other stars, but not enough to get him for next to nothing

On Ball lead scorers are what most teams have. Not too many openings because Young wouldn't be an ideal fit next to most of those players because of his size. He's probably not pairing with Brunson or Cade or Morant or Fox etc etc

But there are teams who could be interested and it just takes 2, like when NY paid a premium for Carmelo with only the Nets as compe ion.

Orlando, Brooklyn, The Wolves as fallback swap for Towns..... There's enough teams with asserts or players that the Spurs aren't the only game in town

And the clock is ticking with Wemby. How long can you wait to get a number 2? Who is the free agent on the horizon? Because I've not seen too many alternative pathways posted that involve players that are make sense

[exstatic]

I agree that the market for him is limited more than for other stars, but not enough to get him for next to nothing

On Ball lead scorers are what most teams have. Not too many openings because Young wouldn't be an ideal fit next to most of those players because of his size. He's probably not pairing with Brunson or Cade or Morant or Fox etc etc

But there are teams who could be interested and it just takes 2, like when NY paid a premium for Carmelo with only the Nets as compe ion.

Orlando, Brooklyn, The Wolves as fallback swap for Towns..... There's enough teams with asserts or players that the Spurs aren't the only game in town

And the clock is ticking with Wemby. How long can you wait to get a number 2? Who is the free agent on the horizon? Because I've not seen too many alternative pathways posted that involve players that are make sense

Please don’t use NY as an example of good, or even competent front office work. Carmelo also took them exactly nowhere near a le.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

people on this board act like we didn’t win a le in DOMINATING fashion, including sweeping the early incarnation of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, with ing Avery Johnson at PG.

Trae Young instantly makes us a playoff team, maybe better IE dark horse. Ima be straight up selfish too and say man, THOSE would be some fun games to watch. If we dont win it all in 2-3 years but Wemby’s happy, WGAF???? He will be all of 23 or so.

Yall are crazy.

In fantasy basketball maybe but his defensive liability should have been obvious to you as opposed to what the 99 Spurs did.

[ambchang]

Trae young’s value drops significantly without the ball in his hands. I want the ball in wembys hands.

[objective]

Please don’t use NY as an example of good, or even competent front office work. Carmelo also took them exactly nowhere near a le.

Didn't use NY as an example of good front office work, only as an example of reality. It happened. And the Spurs have made enough front office mistakes that I wouldn't be so sure of whatever paths they take.

Trae young’s value drops significantly without the ball in his hands. I want the ball in wembys hands.

The Jones-Wemby pairing has shown that a Wemby is a significant positive player with a set up man. Young should make that even better.

Furthermore, at least this year, Young is playing about 8 minutes more per game than Wemby. And the Spurs are getting destroyed when Wemby is off the court. I think those 8 minutes of just Trae wouldn't be destruction any more.

Hawks are 10th in O Rating, Spurs are 27th. They were #2 before adding Dejounte.

[TimmyBuckets]

Trae's worth Vassell and KJ/Sochan plus picks. Got plenty of money to surround them both with good pieces. That's a championship team.

[Kawhi Duncan]

Didn't use NY as an example of good front office work, only as an example of reality. It happened. And the Spurs have made enough front office mistakes that I wouldn't be so sure of whatever paths they take.



The Jones-Wemby pairing has shown that a Wemby is a significant positive player with a set up man. Young should make that even better.

Furthermore, at least this year, Young is playing about 8 minutes more per game than Wemby. And the Spurs are getting destroyed when Wemby is off the court. I think those 8 minutes of just Trae wouldn't be destruction any more.

Hawks are 10th in O Rating, Spurs are 27th. They were #2 before adding Dejounte.

Jones is a great passer (4:1 ast/to ratio) that doesn't need the ball in his hands the entire posession... If he sees a lob, he throws it, apart from that he gets wemby the ball in positions where Wemby can do his own thing and create for himself or others... Trae is an average passer (2:1) that has great highlights and high usage... He needs the ball in his hands to operate and never plays off ball... Even with Murray on the court, he often stands way out from the 3 point line waiting to be passed the ball again... Wemby would only get the ball to shoot threes or dunk... That would severely hinder his growth... Trae's own teammates have called him out on his playstyle for years including this year... Spurs fans are fooled by the highlights and the fact that he seems unstoppable when he plays against our horrible defense, but is in fact a 43% shooter in his 6th season

[JPB]

Nice cherry picking out of context.

Dude, I litterally gave you his CAREER POs stats on offense and defense. that's litterally THE overall context

Who's cherry picking here by pcikng the series where he did well?

By the way, Hawks are 22-28 now after last night loss... But sorry, I'm cherry picking, post me his stats when they win... so I can salivate. And hey, let's throw our best assets for a vet who proved he's not a leader, not a winner, not a good locker room guy, bad at ude and (like it or not) disappear during the POs... Truth is Trae had one good run in 2021 the POs before opponents started to figure him out, and he couldn't adapt. Sure he got his stats but he doesn't make his teams win...

Ask Atlanta how they feel about selling the farm to please him for Dejoutne only to regress as a franchise...But not the guy's fault, because and stuff around him...I don't want Trae, that wouldn't end well. Wemby is no Mutombo or Capela for fuke sake. and Trae isn't the type of guy ready to make sacrifices who would be just happy throwing lobs to Vic.

And I mean, would the guy even want to come here?

[rankingtear]

Anybody that says no to Trae coming here is literally a moron. We probably will never get a talent like that while Wemby is here. This isn't 1999 anymore, offense wins championships. Go get Trae whatever the cost is minus our pick this year. You're telling me if we have Trae and Wemby, other stars won't come running? Sooner you win, better off your odds are at Wemby staying long term. Nobody wants to stay with a franchise and win one ring, loyalty isn't there, rightfully so. Go get Trae.

Stars won't come running. Trae is probably the most hated player in the league by far. The sooner you get Trae the sooner Wemby plans his exit here.