Trae Young is widely regarded as one of the best young point guards in the NBA, but his Atlanta Hawks have objectively underperformed this season.
Two years removed from essentially destroying the Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons Philadelphia 76ers, the Hawks find themselves 18-21 and sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference.
This has led to speculation that perhaps Young is on the outs with the franchise and that a potential trade may be on the horizon.
One team, specifically, is widely regarded as the favorite for Young’s services should Atlanta opt to deal him.
This week, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report discussed what the future looks like for Young and the Hawks.
“Obviously, I can’t predict what’s going to happen,” he said.
“The Hawks right now have been up and down, mainly down this year. You know, there’s been some turmoil that’s been going down in that locker room. And this is something that has been going on for a while, nothing new.”
That said, Haynes believes things are coming to a climax.
“I think you can get the sense and feel that it’s reaching a boiling point right here and something is going to have to break,” he continued.
“And I don’t know what that is. You see the front office making unconventional moves at the midway point in the season. You really don’t see the head of basketball operations step down in December.
“Landry Fields is running the show over there as the general manager and they let go of some of the front office personnel that came in with Travis, who stepped down to take an advisor role. So, there are some things going on right there, but it’s all going to depend on how this season ultimately fares.”
The Hawks looked on paper to be one of the better teams in the East.
Victor Wembanyama is built different. https://t.co/6lRIfze982
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2023
There is a reason games aren’t played on paper, though.
If Atlanta can gets its act together in a hurry, it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see them retain Young long term.
Should the squad continue to flounder, though – the trade rumors will likely only intensify from here.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
