With the NBA commerce deadline nonetheless weeks away, one title has begun to dominate league chatter: Trae Younger.
As soon as seen because the unquestioned centerpiece of the Atlanta Hawks, the 27-year-old guard now sits on the heart of mounting hypothesis about whether or not the franchise is getting ready for all times with out him.
“The Hawks definitely are indicating that they’re on the lookout for the exit ramp with Trae Younger,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon stated on a current episode of The Hoop Collective. “They didn’t make any try and get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case along with your face of the franchise, that’s a fairly clear message that the top might be close to.”
That sentiment has echoed across the league.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein instructed Atlanta could also be extra open to a blockbuster transfer than ever earlier than.
“There’s a rising perception leaguewide that the Hawks are extra open to buying and selling [Young] away than they’ve ever been, however what occurs to their payroll if no such commerce materializes and Younger winds up exercising that choice? Can the Hawks dare to seek out out by buying and selling for Davis this winter with out Younger exiting on the similar time?” Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line.
The on-court information solely complicates issues. Throughout Younger’s prolonged absence earlier this season, Atlanta performed its most fluid basketball. The ball moved faster, the offense flowed freely, and the Hawks piled up assists at a league-leading charge.
Since Younger’s return, the numbers recommend the ball has slowed, touches have elevated, and effectivity has dipped in key areas, all whereas defensive issues have intensified.
MacMahon summed up the truth of a Trae Younger commerce succinctly.
“It’s not going to be straightforward,” MacMahon stated. “There’s not going to be some big range of groups elevating their hand and attempting to get in on the bidding, and I’m unsure if you happen to’re even gonna be capable to make a commerce that’s going to carry worth in return.”
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