Atlanta Hawks Reportedly Open To Moving Trae Young This Offseason

The Atlanta Hawks have secured themselves a spot in the 2023 edition of the NBA play-in tournament, and while it still gives them a shot at securing an outright seed by defeating the Miami Heat tomorrow at 7:30 PM ET, it is a far cry from their past achievements.

Just two seasons ago, the Hawks surprised the NBA landscape when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks after knocking off the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in the first two rounds.

Last season, they were soundly trounced by the Heat in the first round in a gentleman's sweep.

Now, it appears that the Trae Young era in Atlanta may be coming to an end this offseason.

Kevin O'Conner of The Ringer had the following to say about Young's situation and why the organization is looking to move away from the dynamic scoring guard.

"League sources say the 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," O'Conner wrote.

"Months earlier, Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported on escalating tensions between Young and former head coach Nate McMillan, leading to team meetings and questions about Young's leadership. Players reportedly sided with the coach over their star player."

The Hawks' failure to get past the Heat last season fueled them to trade for Dejounte Murray in exchange for Danilo Gallinari plus four first-rounders–a move that did not pay off as well as they would have expected.

With a strong backcourt, the Hawks shot up to third in points per game (118.4) and first in field goals made (44.6), but suffered mightily on the defensive end as they ranked 26th in points allowed (118.1), 28th in field goals made (43.8) and 21st in defensive rebounds (33.5).

Atlanta had also been dealing with the "will they, won't they" scenario of trading John Collins for the past few seasons, and the franchise ultimately decided to keep him around.

O'Conner's revelation that Hawks players decided to take McMillan's side during his hostilities with Young, which tells where he stands among his peers.

In this year's All-Star voting, only 13 other players believed he was worthy of a starting spot 12th among his peers with names such as Zach LaVine, Jrue Holiday and LaMelo Ball getting more votes from other players.

On the court, Young has had some questionable plays this season as well, best exemplified in this moment of him dribbling out the clock against the 76ers in what was a must-win game for them last Friday, April 7.

The Hawks would go on to lose that game by five points in overtime and a follow-up loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, April 9 assured them of a play-in situation.

At just 25 years old, the Hawks can still bank on him to improve, but it would also not be surprising if they call it quits this summer.