Moderators: dms269, Jamaaliver, HMFFL
HMFFL wrote:"If I'm Trae Young, I'd get ahead of the curve. The situation I'm afraid of with Trae is he'll remain [in Atlanta] too long, and then all of a sudden he becomes the villain and he's the scapegoat."
DeMarcus Cousins thinks Trae Young should demand a trade from Atlanta
Thoughts on this?
(via All the Smoke)
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02jYTRmUJNMwPXc8EVYEoCAruyJojjQix5UwESkAyqkDhae1t41aR8UXAUsrv2FeEgl&id=100064847704851&post_id=100064847704851_pfbid02jYTRmUJNMwPXc8EVYEoCAruyJojjQix5UwESkAyqkDhae1t41aR8UXAUsrv2FeEgl&mibextid=Nif5oz
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The RingerThe Atlanta Hawks Still Have Time to Reconsider
Dejounte Murray has been shopped around for weeks, and the Hawks haven’t found an acceptable deal yet. Unless the offers get significantly better in the coming days, the Hawks should at least consider keeping Murray and instead look into trading Trae Young.
I’ve said it before, but here’s my logic behind this stance:
- The Hawks could receive a major haul for Young now and then give Murray the keys for the rest of the season, which would help them decide whether he’s a keeper and would potentially raise his trade value for the offseason.
- As of now, the Hawks are facing an uninspiring return for Murray and a summer in which Young could demand a trade, which would limit his value. The market is limited on point guards because most teams are perfectly happy with their primary shot creator or have a young guy they’re invested in.
- By the summer, teams could draft new, talented guards (and this class has plenty of them), further limiting new destinations for Murray or Young. So by trading Young now and keeping Murray, the Hawks could maximize value.
There are three teams with significant draft capital that could use a point guard: the Magic, Nets, and Spurs. As I wrote last month, San Antonio is uniquely positioned to make a compelling offer since it owns several of Atlanta’s future firsts stemming from the Murray deal. The Spurs aren’t trying to win this season like the Magic and Nets are, but all of these teams could surround Young with the type of talented, lengthy teammates he’s never benefited from in his career. Trae pick-and-rolls with Nic Claxton rolling and Mikal Bridges as an outlet? Sign me up. Trae sprinting through a Paolo Banchero handoff with Wendell Carter spotting up? Beautiful. Trae running two-man actions with Victor Wembanyama for the next decade? What a dream.
On paper, a deal involving a player who makes as much as Young is more practical during the offseason, when teams have more financial flexibility. But the Magic, Nets, and Spurs could theoretically make offers that are just as strong now as they would be later. The only guard-needy team that would be better off waiting is the Lakers, who have enough to make an offer for Murray now but won’t have deep enough pockets for Young until the summer.
Hawks fans have dubbed me a Trae hater over the years. If my criticism of his unwillingness to move without the ball and his papier-mâché defense makes me a hater, then sure, I accept the label. But I’ve always felt that those notes were fair and true, just as it’s true now that Young deserves credit for putting in more defensive effort than ever before. It’s apparent from just watching games, as he slides laterally to better stay in front of opponents and attentively makes rotations. But it’s also true in the stats sheet, as he’s posting career highs in deflections and charges drawn per game. On offense, Young isn’t moving off the ball quite as much as I believe he still can, but he’s doing it more often than he used to to fulfill his role in Quin Snyder’s offense and fit next to Murray. Other teams should see great appeal in him as a player about to enter his prime.
A Young trade would have shades of when Sacramento traded Tyrese Haliburton rather than De’Aaron Fox in 2022. The market for Fox was thin at the time. So instead the Kings moved the player with actual value, Haliburton, to land Domantas Sabonis. Haliburton has turned into a star, but so have Fox and Sabonis, helping the Kings turn into a playoff contender.
Could Murray take a similar leap if Young is moved? This season, he’s averaging 26 points and 7.5 assists per 36 minutes and 59.9 percent true shooting in the minutes when Trae isn’t on the floor. Per PBP Stats, his numbers drop to 19.5 points and 3.9 assists per 36 and 53.5 percent true shooting with Young. In other words, Murray’s volume and efficiency rise without Young.
If Young were dealt and then Murray posted those big numbers for the remainder of the season, the Hawks would undoubtedly have a player on their hands who’s worthy of a much greater return than they’re being offered today. Or even better, a point guard they can build around who is worth more than they originally paid.
No reason to trade him there with their lack of assets.HMFFL wrote:Kendrick Perkins predicts Trae goes to the Lakers this off-season. Lebron and Clutch speaking up on Trae's behalf when he originally didn't make the all-star team.
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Jamaaliver wrote:This is the real dilemma of the Trae Young Era:
HMFFL wrote:Cousins continues to run his mouth. I'd love if Trae Young would throw fuel on the fire and tell Cousins to shut his mouth.
DeMarcus Cousins on Trae Young: 'I hope this is the last time we see him in a Hawks uniform'
Jamaaliver wrote:HMFFL wrote:Cousins continues to run his mouth. I'd love if Trae Young would throw fuel on the fire and tell Cousins to shut his mouth.
DeMarcus Cousins on Trae Young: 'I hope this is the last time we see him in a Hawks uniform'
Trae's silence or lack of a direct response is noteworthy.
jayu70 wrote:Jamaaliver wrote:Trae's silence or lack of a direct response is noteworthy.
It really isn't. Or he'd have to keep answering everytime someone says it and it'll just be neverending. First Perkins, now Cousins, who's Next?
