The Atlanta Hawks made it to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, but they haven't remotely resembled even long-shot championship contenders ever since. They were play-in participants (and first-round losers) each of the past two seasons and are almost surely headed back to the play-in, probably as the No. 10 seed.
This is not at all how things were supposed to go when Atlanta placed a massive wager—in the form of three first-round picks and a first-round swap—on Dejounte Murray being the missing piece. However, that June 2022 blockbuster continues to appear like a massive misfire due in large part to Murray's poor fit with Trae Young.
Those two are theoretically supposed to be pushing the Hawks into championship contention. Instead, they're getting skewered every time they share the floor. Atlanta's worst backcourt combination this season is that very pairing:
- Young and Murray on: 116.6 offensive rating, 122.4 defensive rating, minus-5.8 net rating
- Young on, Murray off: 121.5 offensive rating, 119.4 defensive rating, plus-2.1 net rating
- Murray on, Young off: 119.1 offensive rating, 118.5 defensive rating, plus-0.5 net rating
- Murray and Young off: 107.7 offensive rating, 111.4 defensive rating, minus-3.7 net rating
It appeared for a time that this twosome's troubles would force Murray out, but maybe Young—one of this league's most extreme one-way players—gets squeezed instead. One Western Conference executive told The Ringer's Howard Beck the Hawks "would love to trade Trae," while NBA insider Marc Stein relayed that "Trae Trade Talk has a more tangible feel than ever before."
That one conference finals trip, which Atlanta traversed as a No. 5 feed, comprises the totality of its playoff success since acquiring Young during the 2018 draft. The Hawks could reach the conclusion sooner than later that it can't win big—or competently defend—with Young on the roster. The second that happens, they could start fielding offers for the three-time All-Star, and those overtures could be strong.
For all of his shortcomings on defense, he's a brilliant offensive talent who piles up points, assists and threes at a nearly unprecedented rate. Some team will convince itself it can field a more formidable roster around Young than the Hawks ever have, and as long as the incoming assets are where they need to be, Atlanta might grant them that chance.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
