NBA Rumors: The Atlanta Hawks may have changed their outlook on Trae Young's future with the franchise.
Over the past year and a half, Trae Young has seen his name in and out of the trade rumor mill. Last summer, it seemed like the optimal time for the Atlanta Hawks to trade their All-Star guard. However, in the end, the team opted against it. Many assumed that was an attempt to wait for his trade value to recover and then revisit those trade talks this upcoming offseason.
However, it seems that there's a good chance the Hawks have had a change of heart. According to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, the trade chatter surrounding Young has "quieted down." One would imagine that this likely means the Hawks may not consider trading Young this offseason. Interestingly enough, that could be for several different reasons.
Why it may not be the right time for the Hawks to trade Trae Young
For one, even after a pretty solid season, Young's trade value isn't considered high at this point. While Young did finish the regular season as arguably the best playmaking guard in the league, leading the NBA in assists, he did struggle with his shooting efficiency at times. Because of that, there remains much doubt about whether Young can be a key part of a winning formula.
Those concerns are not going to help his trade value any heading into the offseason, and even if the Hawks may be open to moving on from their All-Star guard, it wouldn't make sense to trade him now. Unless Young would demand a trade out of Atlanta, it would make much more sense for the Hawks to wait before pulling the trigger on an underwhelming deal just for the sake of it.
Additionally, without a clear direction, it wouldn't make a ton of sense for the Hawks to trade Young. If the Hawks are going to explore such a move, there must be a defined plan in place. I'm not sure that's the case for the Hawks right now, especially after they fired general manager Landry Fields. Until there's a long-term replacement in place, trading Young would be quite foolish.
All in all, at least for now, there shouldn't be much of a push to trade Young, especially considering he's open to remaining with the team even in the midst of a rebuild. Could that change in the next few months? Sure. However, there are too many moving parts in the front office right now for such a big decision to be made.
At least for now, it does seem as if Young is going to remain in Atlanta. If that ends up being the case, it's one more big-name star who is off the trade block.