New Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Trae Young To Miami For Huge Package Centered Around Tyler Herro

Would the Miami Heat be interested in trading for Trae Young?

Jan 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

This summer has the potential to see a lot of shakeup around the league and two teams that might be in the middle of that shakeup are the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat. Atlanta is going to be looking to reshape their roster, which means they will likely break up the backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Atlanta winning the NBA Draft Lottery and getting the No.1 pick also adds a huge layer of intrigue to their offseason.

The Miami Heat might be headed for a bit of a shakeup as well after an early playoff exit against the Boston Celtics. Jimmy Butler's future is being questioned and the Heat are always looking to add another star. Even if they don't trade Butler, they could look to add a star player such as Donovan Mitchell.

They could also look to make a big surprise trade like trading for Trae Young. Miami has not been mentioned much as a team that would be interested in trading for Young, but Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey had a trade proposal that sent Young and Kobe Bufkin to Miami for a big return.

Trae Young and Kobe Bufkin for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, a 2028 first-round pick swap and a 2030 first-round pick swap

"The Miami Heat don't have a ton of draft capital to offer in trades, but they might not need it after the way some of their young players performed this season.

Given his point forward potential, Jaime Jaquez Jr. should be worth more than most of the first-round picks in this year's draft. Tyler Herro is a proven 20-plus-point-per-game scorer. And though Terry Rozier isn't a prospect, his salary is necessary to make the trade work. Caleb Martin could've helped on this front, but he has a $7.1 million player option that he seems likely to decline.

The Hawks could get more draft compensation from other teams, but they might want more immediate returns. A rotation with Dejounte Murray, Herro, Jaquez, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela, with Rozier, Onyeka Okongwu and Bogdan Bogdanović coming off the bench would remain in the hunt for a playoff spot without having the bad fit between Murray and Young.

For Miami, this would be a talent play. The Heat ranked 21st in offensive rating this season, and Young, despite his flaws and the steady flow of criticism he's faced over the years, remains one of the NBA's most dynamic offensive engines.

The Heat would have to scour free agency or the undrafted-free-agent market to find depth around Young, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo, but they've proven adept at that in the past."

This is an interesting trade proposal. I think that Young could make some sense for Miami, as they have needed an offensive creator and playmaker to put around Butler and Bam Adebayo. They traded for Terry Rozier before the trade deadline, but he was not healthy for the playoffs and they might might try to trade him in any big deal this summer. Herro is a good scorer, but is a huge liability on defense. Jaquez Jr also struggles on defense, but did show a lot of potential this season and was one of the best rookies across the board. The draft picks could become valuable in the future, but given that Young and Adebayo are not older players, Miami should still be contending when it is time for those picks to convey.

I don't think that Atlanta is going to be wanting to trade Bufkin unless it is for a star player, which none of these players are. When healthy, Bufkin showed upside to be a good two-way guard, especially on defense. He made huge strides in the G-League and flashed his defensive potential when he got real rotation minutes this season with the Hawks. I think Atlanta views him as an important piece of the future and would not include him in a trade centered around Tyler Herro.

Would this trade package from the Heat help the Hawks in the long run? I think it is better than what the Lakers could offer because I would prefer to have Herro and Jaiquez Jr over Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, but I would still question the ceiling of this team with Dejounte Murray being the best player. Murray is a good player, but I think the Hawks ceiling is higher with Young as the centerpiece, though I would acknowledge the difficulties of building around him. This team could be a playoff contender, but unless Johnson or the No. 1 pick makes big strides toward being a star player, I think the ceiling would be limited for the Hawks. There is also no reporting yet to suggest that the Heat would be interested in Young and I don't know if they would offer all of these players for him. Murray has been mentioned as a potential target for the Heat.

There has been speculation about the Spurs pairing Young with Victor Wembanyama, but it has just been speculation and according to a report from Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer, the Spurs might not be all that interested in acquiring Young, at least not right now:

"San Antonio personnel would be committing front-office malpractice by not contemplating the opportunity to pair a league assist leader and high-screen maestro like Young to pair with Wembanyama. The Spurs have so far approached building around Wembanyama as an intriguing experiment, where they will weigh all different kinds of variables around their Rookie of the Year. However, according to multiple league figures with knowledge of the situation, any Spurs plans of maneuvering to bring Young to San Antonio have been vastly overstated. The Spurs, sources said, have expressed little interest in obtaining Young to date."

Fischer went on to mention the Lakers as a possible destination for Young, which has been rumored for quite some time.

"Where Young will fall among the pecking order of available talent this offseason has been a predominant question league personnel are discussing throughout this combine week. The Lakers, for example, are one team that holds interest in Young after Los Angeles held trade discussions with Atlanta about Dejounte Murray back in February, sources said. The Lakers are now armed with three first-round picks to pursue a premier talent to team with James and Davis, but Los Angeles will have to consider other options before committing any type of capital for Young."

It is interesting that the Spurs reportedly are not interested in bringing in Young. The fit seems to be a logical one, as Young is one of the top offensive creators in the NBA and he would create a great pick-and-roll team with Wembanyama. Wembanyama is one of the best defensive players in the league already and would help cover up the weakest part of Young's game. Also, the Spurs control the Hawks's draft picks, meaning Atlanta could try and go into a rebuild if they can get them back.

There could be a lot of movement this offseason around the league and Atlanta and Miami could be right in the middle of those conversations.