NBA Rumors: Heading into a potential franchise-changing offseason, Trae Young's recent comments may give insight into the Atlanta Hawks' offseason plans.
Once the NBA Trade Deadline came and went, one of the bigger rumors that emerged revolved around the Atlanta Hawks possibly entertaining the thought of trading Trae Young heading into the offseason. With the Hawks continuing to struggle with their team identity, it's something to keep in mind heading into the summer. Even more so considering the team appears ready to nuke the Young-Dejounte Murry backcourt.
While there continue to be whispers that the Hawks could be preparing to choose between Young and Murray this offseason, when prompted on the issues the former had some interesting comments.
In the words of Young, who once again finds himself at the center of trade whispers, he doesn't want to play for any other team than the Hawks.
""Yeah, I mean, yeah, you've heard it from the source, like I wanna win but that's what you've heard too. Like I just wanna win. So that's, that's in Atlanta. That's, that's where I wanna be, that's where I envision myself being.""Trae Young
On one hand, this is exactly what Young should be saying. On the other, maybe this is a message to the front office that he doesn't really want to be traded and he's in for the long haul. This could help make a potential offseason decision easier for the Hawks' front office if they are indeed having to make a decision between Young and Murray.
The Atlanta Hawks have some tough decisions to make this summer
Nothing is going to be easy for the Hawks heading into the offseason, especially considering they're likely headed toward another disappointing end to the season. There are no questions that big questions will need to be answered this summer for the Hawks. At least for now, though, it may not appear as if Young is going to be part of their big plans this offseason.
Theoretically speaking, it would seem kind of rash for the Hawks to trade Young this offseason. Despite the recent narrative that is surrounding him, Young is still an elite offensive player and one of the best playmakers in the league. The safe money has to be on the Hawks retaining him this offseason and seeing how they could retool the roster while trading Murray instead.
Could that change? Sure. Could the Hawks break Young's heart and still decide to trade him? Absolutely. But, at this point, there's no question that it would be a very bad look for the franchise. Will that matter? We shall see.