NBA Trades: The Magic land a star in risky potential deal with Hawks

NBA Trades: Magic acquire star point guard in blockbuster proposal

The trade sees the Hawks trade Trae Young to the Magic for Cole Anthony, Caleb Houstan, and two unprotected first round picks. Young gets a much needed fresh start on an upstart contender in the east, while the Hawks acquire more draft capital to continue their rebuild. 

The Magic surprised everyone this past season by rising to the fifth seed in the East and taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. A huge reason for that was their rising star forward, Paolo Banchero.

Banchero took a step forward in his second year, averaging about 23 points per game, seven rebounds, and five assists while shooting about 46 percent from the field. Those numbers were all up from his rookie season. Orlando also has ascending young players like Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner to support Banchero.

As for Young, he is coming off an All-Star season in which he averaged 26 points per game and 11 assists, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. He also had a true shooting percentage of about 59 percent, his highest in two seasons. He has his shortcomings as a defender due to his small frame and lack of effort at times, making him a headache to hide on that end of the floor. 

The Magic fill a need and cash in on the picks that they have stockpiled from their own rebuild and the Hawks get an unprotected first in the 2025 draft. With both teams having an incentive to do the deal, would both accept it as is?