For the past few seasons, the Atlanta Hawks have been spinning their basketball tires. Not bad, but not really going anywhere.
Now, there are rumors that they could look to trade star guard Trae Young, the face of the franchise and a man who led them to the Eastern Conference finals three seasons ago.
For the record, Young indicated after the season that he wanted to remain in Atlanta, but added “I want to win” in Atlanta. The Hawks haven’t been winning, and some of that falls on the front office. Some of it falls on Young and his teammates.
As for general manager Landry Fields, well, he didn’t offer a ton of clarity on the future of Young. It is believed the Hawks will attempt to trade Young and keep fellow star Dejounte Murray, the subject of multiple trade rumors during the season. Some said Murray was as good as gone at the trade deadline. It just goes to show you can’t believe everything — or most things — you read on the Internet and social media.
Anyway, back to Young. The Hawks do seem up in the air on his future with the franchise.
“Trae is the ultimate competitor, he really is,” Fields said, via Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Without a doubt, I know he wants to win. And you know, it never comes down to just one guy. Because as great as Trae is, he is a fantastic basketball player All-Star-caliber player. He knows and we know that it’s going to take more than one.
“So we’ll look at this roster and continuously build out because we all want the same thing at the end of the day. We want to win.”
In other words, with the right offer, just about anyone could be traded. Young and the Hawks may be due for a split, too. Either way, it will be another intriguing offseason in Atlanta. How it ends up, again, is anyone’s guess.
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