The offer that Atlanta Hawks rejected for Trae Young before sending him to the Wizards

The trade that ultimately sent Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards left a bit of a sour taste in Georgia, as no player with real star status returned. However, before that deal was closed, another alternative was on the table: an offer from the Toronto Raptors that Atlanta chose to dismiss.

According to insider Jake Fischer, Toronto had previously tried to acquire Young. In last year's trade deadline, the Raptors put forward a package led by Immanuel Quickley and draft picks, and that interest also continued during this season.

Fischer explains that despite this, the Hawks were not willing to accept a proposal centered around Quickley, mainly due to the money he still has remaining on his contract. Atlanta preferred to prioritize the salary flexibility it now enjoys before the February 5 deadline and potentially for the upcoming free agency. Thus, in Young's trade with Washington, the key piece was CJ McCollum's expiring 30.7 million dollar contract.

An Uncomfortable Echo in Toronto

With this information now in the public domain, it remains to be seen how all of this will impact the relationship between Quickley and the Raptors. The guard is in the second season of a five-year, 162.5 million dollar contract that ties him to Toronto until the 2028-29 season.

So far this season, Quickley is averaging 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. His three-point percentage is 35.6%, including the buzzer-beater he made earlier this week against Charlotte.

The question now is whether Toronto will attempt to reuse a similar package to go after another volatile-profile star guard who has just hit the market. What is clear is that Quickley's name has already surfaced, very prominently, in the major moves being cooked up in the NBA offices.