Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young has been the subject of trade rumors even before their 2023-24 season came to an end in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
For the 25-year-old Young, it’s a far cry from just a couple years ago when he was seen as one of the best young players in the game.
Young’s Hawks have struggled to be relevant since earning a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2021. He’s taken most of the blame as the supposed franchise cornerstone.
With rumors heating up in this regard as the NBA offseason gets going, Young took to social media with a cryptic post. No words were involved. Just an emoji.
It doesn’t necessarily take a rocket scientist to understand what that emoji means. What Young actually meant by it is a completely different story.
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Will the Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young this summer?
It’s been expected that either Young or fellow Hawks guard Dejounte Murray will be dealt during the offseason. Surprisingly, some have indicated that Murray has more trade value than his better-known counterpart.
“Several executives who spoke with HoopsHype say they value Murray over Young due to his contract length and average annual salary,” report from Michael Scotto late last month.
Indeed. Young is playing under a five-year, $215.16 million contract that pays him $43 million annually. Murray’s deal calls for an average of $28.52 million over four years.
Trae Young stats (2023-24): 25.7 PPG, 10.8 APG, 43% shooting, 37% 3-point
The question is rather obvious. Are teams willing to dole out that contract while expecting Young to be a franchise cornerstone? Given his poor rep around the league, we’re not too sure what type of value the Hawks would get in return.
It’s one of the major NBA storylines this offseason.