It was just a couple years ago that Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young was seen as one of the better young players in the NBA.
Young was the No. 5 overall pick back in the 2018 NBA Draft. He earned two All-Star appearances in his first four seasons. That included averaging a whopping 29.6 points as a sophomore in 2019-20.
Unfortunately, Young’s reputation has taken a hit as his Hawks team struggles to remain relevant on the broader NBA stage.
This is now coming to a culmination with several reports indicating that the Hawks are going to break up their star-studded backccourt of Young and Dejounte Murray.
According to this note from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, teams now value Murray at a higher clip than Young in a potential trade with Atlanta.
“Several executives who spoke with HoopsHype say they value Murray over Young due to his contract length and average annual salary.”
Report on Dejounte Murray and Trae Young
Trae Young’s contract could be an issue in trade talks
Young, 25, is playing under a five-year, $215.16 million contract he signed with the Hawks back in August of 2021. His cap hits moving forward could end up being an issue for teams interested in acquiring the All-Star from Atlanta.
- 2024-25: $43.03 million
- 2025-26: $45.99 million
- 2026-27: $48.97 million
For his part, Murray is playing under a four-year, $114.07 million contract. His cap hits are under $30 million each season until the All-Star has a player option in 2027-28.
In reality, the difference between Young and Murray as players is not enough to make up for their drastically different contracts.
- Trae Young stats (2023-24): 25.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 10.8 APG, 43% shooting, 37% 3-point
- Dejounte Murray stats (2023-24): 22.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 46% shooting, 36% 3-point
It remains to be seen who Atlanta will move this summer. What we do know is that the team is going to reshape its roster. That could include selling Young for pennies on the dollar.