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9 hours ago
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After shockingly missing the playoffs this year despite finishing with the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed (they lost twice in the play-in tournament), the Atlanta Hawks face a summer full of questions.
Thanks to surgeries to Boston Celtics All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Milwaukee Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, plus the midseason trade of All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference finds itself in something of a talent drain.
In theory, this could open the door for intriguing mid-tier teams like the Hawks or Orlando Magic to take a gigantic leap next season. Orlando, no doubt recognizing this, pounced, offloading four draft picks and a swap — plus the contracts of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony — to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for standout swingman Desmond Bane.
Armed with rising star forward Jalen Johnson, ascendant All-Defensive Team guard Dyson Daniels, 2024 No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher, and the Nos. 13 and 22 picks in the first round of this year's 2025 NBA Draft, Atlanta appears to face a big choice this offseason: whether or not to trade four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young.
The 6-foot-1 Oklahoma product is still just 26, and posted impressive averages of 24.2 points on .411/.340/.875 shooting splits, 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds across 76 healthy regular season contests in 2024-25, while offering zero resistance defensively.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first quarter.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Young's defensive issues are just one piece of the puzzle. Johnson projects to be an All-Star sooner rather than later, and questions abound about whether or not Young's time with the rock could stall out Johnson's growth a bit.
Sources inform Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints that Atlanta — now under new general manager Onsi Saleh — has not "held serious Trae Young trade discussions" so far.
Instead, it appears the Hawks want to see how the club's incoming rookies and incumbent young pieces develop around their All-Star.
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