Ever since their run to the Eastern Conference Finals a few years ago, it has been all downhill for the Hawks. The team has taken a step back with each passing season, the head coach and general manager both decided to step away due to a dysfunctional culture, and the few big swings the team has taken in an attempt to build around Trae Young have not gone according to plan.
Most notably, the Hawks traded for All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray a couple of offseasons ago. It gave Young the first All-Star teammate of his career, which was an exciting proposition for a team that was still young and not too far removed from a deep playoff run. However, sometimes the fit is more important than the talent. There were questions about how Young and Murray — two ball-dominant point guards — would share the floor together. The Hawks hoped their talent would shine through, but this is an unfixable marriage. The two cannot co-exist if the #1 goal is to win basketball games.
It has never been more obvious that the Hawks need to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray. But is that even enough to change the direction of the organization?
Recently, on our show SportsTalkATL, Mark Zinno had some fierce opinions about what’s next for the Hawks. Not only does he believe one of them should be traded, but he also thinks the Hawks should seriously consider dealing them both and entering a total rebuild, much like the Oklahoma City Thunder have done in recent years, which is now paying off in spades as they are the top seed in a loaded Western Conference.
It’s not what Hawks fans want to hear, as it wasn’t too long ago that there was tangible excitement surrounding the future of the organization, which seemed to find their first true superstar since Dominique Wilkins became known as the Human Highlight Factory. However, Zinno makes a pretty convincing argument as to why the Hawks should consider blowing it up, even if he doesn’t believe ownership will be on board.
Take a listen:
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Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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