When the Atlanta Hawks traded for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray in June, expectations for the team skyrocketed. Could Atlanta repeat its 2021 Eastern Conference Finals finish?
With the team now mired at .500 (38-38) and sitting in eighth place, the answer clearly is no. Perhaps the opposite, in fact. It may even be time for Atlanta to consider jettisoning Murray’s backcourt mate, star Trae Young.
This season, the 24-year-old sharpshooter is averaging 26.5 points and 10 assists while shooting a modest 43.2 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three. That’s not great for somebody with such high volume and usage (33%). Young has yet to have a season shooting over 46% from the field.
He has also failed to jell with his teammates during the current campaign. Per Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, “It’s no secret there’s a serious disconnect between Young, the team’s star player, and many — though some say nearly all — of his teammates.”
Given his age, talent and his fine performance in the 2021 playoffs, when the Hawks lost to the Bucks in the conference finals, Young would be highly coveted. The Miami Heat, desperate for a point guard, might be at the front of the line.
Young is in the first year of a five-year, $215 million deal, meaning that a team trading for him would have him under its control for a while.
After firing head coach Nate McMillian near the end of February, Atlanta hired former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder, hoping to ignite a spark in this struggling franchise. Although it is early in Snyder’s tenure, the Hawks still look mediocre at best, going 7-8 under Snyder as of this posting.
Even if Atlanta were to acquire a star to pair with Murray and Young, it would be hard for the team to compete with East beasts Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Cleveland and New York are also building to compete for the long term.
The Hawks will not be a top-tier team in the foreseeable future and a Young-Hawks split makes sense in many ways for both player and organization.
