Hanifan: Why Heat should not entertain adding Trae Young

The clock is ticking. Not just on the Feb. 5 trade deadline — which is now less than one month away — but Trae Young’s future with the Atlanta Hawks.

Amid his struggles, and the team’s collective shortcomings with him on the floor, plus the emergence of forward Jalen Johnson, Young and the Hawks are approaching their divorce.

“Atlanta Hawks four-time All-Star Trae Young and his agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are working with the franchise on a trade, sources told ESPN on Monday,” ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania wrote Monday. “Young’s reps and Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh have begun positive and collaborative talks over the past week on finding a resolution.

“The Hawks appear poised to turn the page on a new era with the emergence of forward Jalen Johnson, who entered Monday averaging 24 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists, and free agent acquisition Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is averaging a career-high 20.7 points.”

Canvassing the NBA for a legitimate suitor for Young, who’s averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in 10 games, is challenging. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, his market appears to be “minimal. So, any team wanting to throw their hand in the middle may not have many joining them.

That said, one of those teams should NOT be the Miami Heat. Let’s explain!

Why the Miami Heat should not entertain adding Trae Young:

One of the team’s biggest issues since Goran Dragic’s departure was its lack of a true point guard. Now, Dragic wasn’t your everyday pass-first point guard. But the former 15-year vet was leveraging his scoring ability into above-average playmaking throughout his Heat tenure.

They didn’t quite replace that. Young’s passing ability is, by far, his best trait. However, there are a few reasons why I don’t think it would be as beneficial in this context.

For one, Young’s fit stylistically clashes with the Heat. Young has been the centerpiece of one of the most heliocentric systems leaguewide — though the catch is how, not the what.

A steady dose of Young’s primary actions is through double-drags ATB or simple ball-screen actions. Anyone want to guess which NBA team completely wiped away that element of its offense?! Anyone?! The Miami Heat.

Young would immediately be one of the team’s most talented passers the organization has seen in quite a long time. But his deficiencies don’t make up for his strengths — perhaps his lone strength.

Simply put, he’s an inefficient shot chucker who’s been a below-average 3-point shooter (relative to his position) for most of his career. He’s taken nearly half (46.4 percent) of his shots from distance the last three years at a 35.1 percent clip. On the surface, that’s not terrible. But that ranks in the 21st percentile of all guards who have attempted at least 500 3s over that span.

Young also doesn’t finish well around the rim, finishing in the 30th percentile or worse in rim efficiency each of his previous three healthy seasons. Not to mention, he’s not just a bad defender — he’s one of the worst in the entire NBA, at any position. He’ll find himself in the passing lanes, at times, or will poke the ball away from an opposing player. But, for the most part, he gets relentlessly picked on without any resistance — neutralizing any impact he has offensively.

In an NBA where two-way malleability is the most valuable if you’re trying to compete for a title, one way volitility isn’t. Trae Young fits the latter, not the former.

That’s not to say he’s not an incredibly talented player — he is.

Young is a floor raiser for an 82-game regular season, not a ceiling raiser for one or multiple postseason series, especially against the league’s best teams. There will be nights where he inevitably gets hot. However, there will be just as many where his streaky shooting, lackluster decision-making and porous defensive aptitude is just too much to overcome.

The 27-year-old is also eligible for an extension — the sole purpose as to why Atlanta isn’t willing to save this partnership. He’s due approximately $95 million through 2026-27, including a $49 million player option (29.5 percent of cap) next season. Amick and Robbins reported that he wishes for a new contract “level commensurate with a star player.” While no number is specific, one could assume that means a pay-raise approaching $50 million annually — or more.

You might not have to give up much to get him, but that’s not worth it for a team hanging by a thread. Young’s a very difficult player to build a roster around. The Heat don’t have the means to compete, unless you think placing an anvil on your best player’s (Adebayo) shoulders to cover up whatever mess that backcourt spills defensively is a good idea. Spoiler: That’s not going to help the three-time All-Star improve his offense, regardless of who’s feeding him the ball.

Trae Young is a good player. But at the end of the day, there’s no team that’s exposed Young’s shortcomings more when it’s mattered than the Heat. They’ve written the manual. And for that alone, it’s not worth the investment when you don’t have the ancillary pieces to cover up for it.

Do you think the Miami Heat should entertain adding Trae Young?! Let us know in the comments!

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