NBA Trade Rumors: Surprising young Atlanta Hawks player is considered an untouchable

NBA Trade Rumors: Heading into the NBA Trade Deadline, there's one surprising Atlanta Hawks young player who is considered an untouchable.

Through the first half of this season, the Atlanta Hawks have turned in another disappointing start to the year. Sitting as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference standings, it's clear that something simply isn't working for the Hawks. With just a few weeks before the NBA Trade Deadline, the Hawks will have a golden opportunity to shake things up.

Quite frankly, with how Atlanta has disappointed over the last few seasons, it's probably in the best long-term interest of the team to explore a retooling of the roster around Trae Young. And that's what the rumor mill has been swirling out. At this point, Dejounte Murray may be the biggest name that ends up being traded ahead of the deadline. If the Hawks are going to make a big move, Murray is the natural candidate to be involved.

One that isn't is rookie guard Kobe Bufkin, which is at least somewhat surprising considering how badly the Hawks need to make a splash move.

According to a recent report, the Hawks consider Bufkin an untouchable in trade discussions heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. Bufkin was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Hawks.

Was trade Dejounte Murray the plan all along for the Atlanta Hawks

You can't help but wonder if once the Hawks drafted Bufkin if the plan was to trade Murray all along. Or at least, his presence on the roster gave him the flexibility to move on from Murray. It makes sense for the Hawks to pull the trigger now, especially if they're ready to take a step back in order to take a step forward.

Bufkin has not played much this season due to an injury he sustained in November. He's only appeared in two games and has played a total of four minutes this year. However, that doesn't mean the Hawks can't be extremely high on his potential moving forward. The natural next question is whether a trade of Murray opens the door for more playing time for Bufkin or if the Hawks continue to play the waiting game as he develops in the shadows.

It's certainly a situation that deserves monitoring, especially if the Hawks do move forward with trading Murray ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.