NBA Trade Rumors: The real reason why the Atlanta Hawks didn't trade Trae Young is finally revealed.
As the NBA offseason arrived, there was a strong belief around the league that the Atlanta Hawks were one team that was going to undergo plenty of changes. The Dejounte Murray-Trae Young experiment appeared to be at the end of its journey and the team was also awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after getting lucky in the draft lottery.
If the Hawks were going to make some big changes, this seemed like the ideal time to make it happen. However, the multiple big moves never came to full fruition. While the Hawks did trade Murray (to the New Orleans Pelicans), the Young trade, which many envisioned happening this summer, never did. And we finally may have the reason why.
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the reason why the Hawks didn't ultimately trade Young this offseason is because there wasn't a clear market for him. Considering how the narrative has devolved surrounding Young over the last few months, this is not that surprising.
The mystery of Trae Young's diminishing trade value
Young was once considered to be one of the rising stars in the NBA. However, over the last few months, that sentiment has quickly changed. Young is now considered an overrated star and perhaps even one that doesn't lead or translate toward winning. I don't completely agree with that narrative, but with how much the Hawks have struggled over the last few years, it's hard to argue intently with that idea - for now.
Young is still young enough that he can change that narrative for the good. It's one thing to suggest that the Young-Murray duo didn't work in Atlanta. It's a completely different thing to call out Young as a player as the big reason why.
It does seem as if that's happening to a certain extent. I don't think that's fair and Young will have the opportunity to prove those naysayers wrong. So even as the Hawks explore retooling their roster, it doesn't seem as if Young is going to be moved at least now until his trade value rebounds a bit.
The question is, where will Young's trade value be in, say, six months? Or perhaps at the NBA Trade Deadline? At that point, we should get a clearer understanding of what Young's future might be with Atlanta.