Is it really time for the Atlanta Hawks to trade 24-year-old star guard Trae Young?
The best player the franchise has had since “Iso” Joe Johnson?
Yes. Unfortunately, it is.
And here's why they must trade him in the 2023 offseason.
3 reasons Hawks must trade Trae Young in 2023 NBA offseason
The Selfishness
There was a time when the Atlanta Hawks were over-reliant on Trae Young out of necessity.
They literally couldn't get anything going without him.
Yet, even after De'Andre Hunter led the team in scoring during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, after Dejounte Murray was acquired following his first All-Star season, and after a two-way impact player in Saddiq Bey was acquired via an in-season trade, Young couldn't break out of the habit of playing ‘hero ball.' Despite being the nominal point guard, he was clearly more interested in setting himself up for shots rather than his teammates.
Not that Young needs to play like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, or Chris Paul. Simply that his play style is not conducive to winning considering that he's a relatively inefficient combo guard that gets tunnel vision too often.
Where Young should be using his blend of ball-handling, passing ability, and gravity to make the game easier for his teammates, he seems to prefer that they just stand there waiting for a pass.
What's the last team or player that won like that?
Kobe Bryant — a player that routinely played standout defense — in 2010?
The Defense
It's no secret that Trae Young, though fiery, routinely gets targeted on the defensive end as a 6-foot-1 and 164-pound guard.
It's among the main reasons that the Hawks have ranked in the bottom-10 of the league in defensive rating every year since he was drafted, while ranking in the bottom-10 of the NBA in opponents points per game in all but one of those seasons.
Trading Trae, who arguably has the best trade value on the team, would likely be the difference between the Hawks continuing to struggle on the defensive end and them being respectable on both ends of the floor.
Atlanta, already linked to Marietta native Jaylen Brown, could gauge the Boston Celtics interest in an eventual swap. The Toronto Raptors, who may lose starting point guard Fred VanVleet in the offseason, might have interest in trading All-Star forward Pascal Siakam or defensive stalwart OG Anunoby. The Los Angeles Clippers, should they look to blow up the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George tandem, could look to move one of the perimeter stars to Atlanta.
None of these moves solves all of the Hawks problems or leaves them without any. However, they all improve the team by increasing their defensive potential and potentially their chemistry as well, given that multiple players will have a greater opportunity to expand their games.
The Selfishness
There was a time when the Atlanta Hawks over-relied on Trae Young out of necessity.
They literally couldn't get anything going without him.
Yet, even after De'Andre Hunter led the team in scoring during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, after Dejounte Murray was acquired following his first All-Star season, and after a two-way impact player in Saddiq Bey was acquired via an in-season trade, Young couldn't break out of the habit of playing ‘hero ball.' Despite being the nominal point guard, he was clearly more interested in setting himself up for shots rather than his teammates.
Not that Young needs to play like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, or Chris Paul. Simply that his play style is not conducive to winning considering that he's a relatively inefficient combo guard that gets tunnel vision too often.
Where Young should be using his blend of ball-handling, passing ability, and gravity to make the game easier for his teammates, he seems to prefer that they just stand there waiting for a pass.
What's the last team or player that won like that?
Kobe Bryant — a player that routinely played standout defense, by the way — back in 2010?
The Coach-Killer Label
The idea that Trae Young has been a coach-killer is not one that's new, as many were ready to hit him with that tag after current Team USA assistant coach Lloyd Pierce was fired by the Hawks in 2021. A move that seemed to be caused by Pierce made unflattering comments about Young, who he gushed about publicly, in private.
However, the public comments about the move were centered around the idea that Pierce gave the offense too much free reign and not enough structure.
Eventually, the Hawks would replace Pierce with a veteran head coach in Nate McMillan. McMillan, who had successfully navigated the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers to the postseason multiple times, led Atlanta to the playoffs in both of his opportunities to do so. Unfortunately, McMillan seemed to have friction with Young himself, as reports surfaced suggesting tension between the two parties shortly before he was fired.
Now the Hawks are on their third coach since Young was drafted in 2018. Another defensive-minded head coach, at that.
Though Young appears to have bought in for now, the question is how much longer will he? How will he handle rough patches with Quin Snyder, should they come? Would the Hawks fire yet another high-level coach to appease Young?
Consider these questions:
1. How many teams win a championship without great coaches?
2. How often do great coaches come around?
3. How many different players have won NBA championships?
4. How often do great players come around?
Though it's a player's league, the Hawks have a better chance of replacing a player like Young than a coach like Snyder. Especially if the Hawks keep firing every coach that they bring in.
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