Is Trae Young the next superstar NBA player to want a change of scenery? According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, there’s a belief among “rival executives in attendance at the NBA’s annual G League Winter Showcase” that Young, the face of the Atlanta Hawks, may want just that “if the team doesn’t make inroads come postseason time.”
It’s the second bit of big news surrounding the Hawks in as many days. On Wednesday, the team’s President of Basketball Operations, Travis Schlenk, moved into an advisory role. Their general manager, Landry Fields, is taking over basketball operations, and Haynes noted that Fields and Young “meet routinely and have a great relationship.”
Atlanta entered this season with high expectations following the decision to trade three first-round picks for Dejounte Murray in the offseason. So far, those expectations have not been met, as Atlanta is 16-16 and finds itself in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The team lost to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday by way of an Ayo Dosunmu buzzer beater.
Young, a two-time All-Star selection, joined the Hawks via a trade on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft that sent Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks. He’s averaging 27.6 points and 9.8 assists in 35.8 minutes per game this year.