The Atlanta Hawks season came crashing down on them on Wednesday night, as they suffered a 131-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls in their Play-In Tournament matchup. And with another disappointing season now in the books, it looks the Trae Young trade rumors are starting to ramp back up again.
While Young put up big numbers for the Hawks again this season (25.7 PPG, 10.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 43 FG%), he's struggled to work alongside his backcourt running mate in Dejounte Murray, and trade rumors have surrounded both of them the entire year. With Young struggling against the Bulls (22 PTS, 10 AST, 2 REB, 4/12 FGM), fans quickly took to social media to voice their opinion that the star guard should be traded this offseason.
Hawks have big Trae Young decision to make this offseason
After making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2021, the Hawks have only managed to make the Play-In Tournament the past three seasons. And even then, they managed to make it to the playoffs the past two years, so failing to even win one game this time around represents a new low for a franchise that has been stuck in neutral for a few seasons now.
It's certainly frustrating for the Hawks and their fans, because they have a lot of talent on their team. And while Young is a skilled player, he also leaves a lot to be desired. He frequently struggles with his efficiency from the floor, and is a defensive liability on the other end of the floor.
The same things aren't necessarily true of his partner-in-crime in Murray, though, as he shot a more respectable 45.9 percent from the floor, and is a far better defender than Young. When given a chance to run the offense without Young alongside him this season, Murray put up some big numbers that indicated the team might be better off with him leading the backcourt moving forward (25.1 PPG, 9.1 APG, 5.8 RPG).
After another season where the team failed to meet expectations, it's clear the front office has to do something. There would obviously be a market for both Young and Murray, and this ugly ending to the season increases the likelihood that one of them will get traded this offseason. With this poor game lingering on folks' minds as the offseason approaches, could that lead to Young being the guy that gets the ax?
It's a tough situation for the Hawks, but change is needed if they want to avoid continually finding themselves in the same spot year after year, and Young's time with the team may have run its course. Fans everywhere seem to believe that it's time for him to get moved, and it will be interesting to see if Atlanta feels the same way.
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