The Hawks are at a crossroads this offseason, and it seems the club is headed for an inevitable split with one of their All-Star point guards — Dejounte Murray or Trae Young.
The duo just hasn’t worked out as many had hoped, and the front office would be foolish to simply run it back. Quin Snyder’s voice will surely carry significant weight in the decision, but the organization will also weigh other factors.
The roster construction depends on the draft, free agency, and the trade market. Landry Fields will not only consider which star is best for Atlanta but also which he can build around better.
Another aspect that must be considered is the potential return in a Dejounte Murray or Trae Young trade. The latter will certainly garner more, but it may not be as much as Hawks fans once thought.
Jake Fischer recently reported that Brandon Ingram and Donovan Mitchell would have more trade interest than Atlanta’s superstar. Mitchell is the more efficient scorer, so that’s not surprising, but Ingram is in no way a better player than Young. However, the need for a 6-foot-9 wing that can score on his own and be a versatile defender is much greater than an undersized point guard.
What is surprising is that Darius Garland may also be the preferred point guard over Trae Young, per Jake Fischer via Evan Sidery.
Some teams have indicated they would prefer pursuing Darius Garland over Trae Young, per @JakeLFischer (https://t.co/Bupfq3gwQ0).
If Garland hits the trade market, dependent upon Donovan Mitchell’s decision, the Cavaliers could return serious value. pic.twitter.com/APgavopAZQ
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 17, 2024
There may be a couple of reasons for this, but the two primary ones are that Garland is a better defender and would cost less in a trade and on the payroll. However, this notion that Trae Young’s trade market is barren seems overblown.
He’s 25 years old and averages 25 points and 10 assists for his career while having led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals — something Garland, Ingram, and Mitchell haven’t done.
I’m not arguing Trae Young’s trade value is as high as it was coming off that Eastern Conference Finals run, but it’s certainly not as low as Fischer seems to indicate.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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