Although the NBA is currently enjoying the best moment of the season, with the playoffs, those teams that have been eliminated are already thinking about their plans for next season. One of them is the
Atlanta Hawks, which NBA
Rumors have pointed out as a team that wants to negotiate for its two stars,
Trae Young and
Dejounte Murray, to reorganize its reconstruction.
Already in the last winter market, Murray was on the verge of being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, although the purple and gold franchise ultimately failed to meet Atlanta's demands for their player. Now, however, it seems that the Hawks intend to negotiate Young's departure before Dejounte.
As noted by Marc Stein, a reputable NBA insider, "there is a growing belief in many corners of the league that Atlanta's preference would actually be to trade Trae Young." To do so, the Georgia franchise would have to fit into a hypothetical deal his $215 million contract that completes its second year at the end of this 2023/24 season.
It is logical that the Atlanta Hawks are thinking about turning their rebuild around and orienting it towards a future with young players with projection such as Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey or De'Andre Hunter, who can accompany Dejounte Murray and those players they can get with the Trae Young trade, since in the last two years the franchise has barely been able to compete for the ring.
In 2023 they were eliminated in the first round against the Boston Celtics. Although it was a long playoff run that was decided in six games, it also didn't feel like the Hawks could do much more. This season they failed to advance past the play-in, where they were eliminated against Chicago Bulls, after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 36 wins and 46 losses.