The 2023 postseason is barely upon us, and it already feels like the middle of fake trade season.

Damian Lillard doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild, Bradley Beal is starting to feel impatient, Luka Doncic is already refuting reports that he might ask out, and Trae Young might be available as early as this summer.

"With the offseason approaching, league sources say the [Atlanta] Hawks' front office has the green light from ownership to do whatever it wants to with the roster, which includes considering trade opportunities involving All-Star point guard Trae Young," Kevin O'Connor wrote for The Ringer on Monday.

He later added that "any deal would need to net another All-Star player coming back and/or a group of valuable players and picks."

Given Young's defensive limitations and the Hawks' proximity to mediocrity for two years, we may not be looking at a Donovan Mitchell-like trade package here, but Atlanta won't give him away. And it sounds like the ideal return would have the team at least remaining competitive.

In other words, this isn't a "blow it up and rebuild" scenario for Atlanta, nor should it be a "move heaven and earth" scenario for most potential suitors.

That alone narrows the field down a decent bit, but there's still a handful of teams for which Young would make sense as the point guard of the future.

For all the talk of his poor defense and potential shortcomings as a leader, he's still just 24. And after five NBA seasons, he already has eye-popping career averages of 25.5 points, 9.3 assists and 2.5 threes.

Whatever team he might end up on for 2023-24 (including the incumbent Hawks) would have a one-man offensive engine the likes of which we haven't seen many times in league history.

Miami Heat

Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick for Trae Young

or

Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and a 2027 first-round pick for Trae Young

Multiple packages for one team aren't a staple for these fake trade articles, but the Miami Heat (who always seem to come up when a star hits or is rumored to hit the trade market) have multiple avenues they could pursue.

If the Hawks reached a point where they were more interested in the potential long-term benefits of moving Young, an expiring contract like Kyle Lowry's and multiple first-round picks might be enticing. They might even be able to talk Miami into parting with some additional draft compensation (like multiple second-rounders) for the trouble of paying the rest of Duncan Robinson's contract (which runs through 2025-26).

If you replace some of the draft consideration with Tyler Herro (the second package outlined above), the deal might make even more sense.

Herro is a year younger than Young, is coming off back-to-back seasons with a 20-plus scoring average and has been a more reliable three-point shooter over the course of his career. He'd easily slot in as the starting 2 next to Dejounte Murray.

Miami, meanwhile, would have a division-of-labor question to work out with Young, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but the talent level of that trio would rival just about any other in the league.

Chicago Bulls

Zach LaVine and a 2027 first-round pick for Trae Young

This feels like a sort of "prove it" trade for both the Chicago Bulls and Hawks.

Zach LaVine and Young are making the same amount next season, so we don't have to worry at all about the cap mechanics. But Chicago is getting the younger (by four years) and more productive player, hence its inclusion of a first-round pick.

So, why would Atlanta do it? The reason is similar to the one with Herro. LaVine might simply be a better fit next to Murray than Young is. And while he's no lockdown defender, he's four inches taller than Young and a superior athlete. With Murray's 6'4" frame and 6'10" wingspan, the Hawks would suddenly have a backcourt with plus size.

And a more egalitarian offense engineered by both Murray and LaVine could give bigs John Collins and Clint Capela more opportunities to score.

For the Bulls, the LaVine-DeMar DeRozan-Nikola Vucevic core clearly isn't going to contend for a title any time soon (a bottom-10 offense has a lot to do with that). And Chicago's current point guard, Lonzo Ball, may be the biggest health mystery in the league right now.

Young would instantly supercharge the team's attack. And if Lonzo somehow got back to 100 percent during Young's stay, he's big and versatile enough to be more of a secondary playmaker at the 2.