The Atlanta Hawks are in endless NBA trade talks amid their underwhelming start to the 2023-24 season. Dejounte Murray has been at the center of the conversation, but Trae Young's name is gaining traction. Former center DeMarcus Cousins sent a bold message to the star Hawks point guard.
The Hawks' trade discourse gets furthered by DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins joined Rachel Nichols for a discussion on Trae Young's status with the team. He was clear about the next steps Young needs to take to avoid the downfall of his team's poor performance:
“If I'm Trae Young, I get ahead of the curve. The situation I'm afraid of is he'll remain there for too long and all of a sudden he becomes the villain. He's the scapegoat. I know from experience, and I know how these organizations work,” Cousins said via Bully Ball of All the Smoke Productions.
The longtime NBA center continued, “Once things start to crumble, the blame game starts. It usually starts with the coach first, and then the players…So if I'm Trae Young, I'm getting out as soon as I can.”
Cousins played 11 seasons in the NBA. Therefore, his opinion could be valuable to Young.
Young has shown promise as Atlanta's franchise point guard. However, the team has not been able to maintain the same competitiveness they once showed. During the 2020-21 season, Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. Since then, they have not escaped the first round of the playoffs.
The team traded for Dejounte Murray in 2022 to boost their chances of success, but the move has not panned out yet. Thus, Murray and other Hawks players are the talk of the NBA in trade discussions.
How long will Trae Young remain in Atlanta amid the team's shortcomings?