Trae Young could be on the trade block and, if he is, the Miami Heat can't help but explore what a potential pursuit could look like. Young may not be the perfect trade target for the Heat, but he's a superstar guard who does check a lot of the boxes of what the team could be looking for in a mid-season acquisition.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, there's league-wide speculation that the Hawks may be more willing to trade Young than ever before. With the ability to opt out of his current contract with the team after this season, the Hawks may slowly realize that trading him ahead of the deadline should be on the table.
Especially if the team is not confident that they'll be able to sign him to an extension after this season.
Trae Young is a complicated trade target
Young has had an up-and-down season that has been marred by injury, but he's still managed to average 19 points and nine assists on 42 percent shooting from the field. He's also only appeared in 10 games so far this season, so his inconsistencies on the floor aren't all that surprising.
The question is, would the Heat be at all interested in making a move for Young?
The answer to that question could be complicated.
In a vacuum, the Heat should be open to the idea of pursuing Young. After all, he's a playmaking, electric offensive player that this team has needed for quite some time. In theory, he'd also be a great fit next to Bam.
Sure, there are questions about his ability on the defensive end of the floor, but Young is one of those star players whose potential on offense makes up for those concerns.
The Heat are still waiting on Giannis
But what makes it all the more complicated for the Heat is the fact that, from all indications, this team is still waiting for a resolution to take place between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
And until something changes definitively on that front, it would almost be malpractice for the front office to burn any of their limited assets on a player that won't immediately make them a championship contender in the Eastern Conference.
That's not to say that adding Young wouldn't make the Heat better, but Giannis is the type of talent that makes a team a contender the moment he steps onto the floor. Young is not.
Whether it's a good - or realistic - plan of action for the Heat remains to be seen. But it'd be shocking if this wasn't the initial plan for this team heading into this next trade season.
Miami is almost certainly going to wait out for Giannis, but it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't kick the tires on what a potential trade for Young would look like. Just in case. And, to be quite honest, that's probably the right move here.