Dueling Trae Young reports praise and question his fit with Wembanyama

With the San Antonio Spurs having missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season, fans have likely begun to speculate about the team's offseason plans. That includes whether the Spurs will make a blockbuster deal for Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. Young has been linked to the Spurs and could be just what the team needs to get back into contention.

This is despite a recent report that the Spurs will pass on trading for Young. A lot can happen between now and late June or July, and it is possible that San Antonio is trying to downplay their interest to keep from losing leverage in potential trade negotiations.

Whether that turns out to be true or not, the Hawks may have to adjust their asking price, which could restore San Antonio's interest. Assuming that is the case, Young could be a perfect fit for the Spurs.

Should the San Antonio Spurs trade for Trae Young this summer?

Despite some question marks about his game, Young's a prolific offensive player who can help take the Spurs to another level on that end of the floor. His high-volume 3-point shooting, particularly when paired with Devin Vassell, could form an elite offensive backcourt. Young would also be the perfect playmaker for Wembanyama, given how adept he is at tossing lobs.

He's averaged at least 9.5 assists for each of the last three seasons and could get Wembanyama several easy baskets a game. That would help him go from good to great on that end of the floor. Not only that, but it may be enough to help the Spurs get out of the basement in terms of offensive rating after ranking just 26th this season.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama playing more minutes and hopefully more games next season should be enough to carry the Spurs to the league average on defense. Combine that with Young, and San Antonio would be a potential playoff team while still having plenty of upside. That would allow the team to get better around a hypothetical core of Young and Wembanyama.

Although the Spurs may opt to look elsewhere this summer, Donovan Mitchell potentially becoming available could force the Hawks to rethink their asking price, which could get the Spurs to reconsider.