It may sound far-fetched, absurd, even preposterous, but it is in the best interest of the Atlanta Hawks organization that they trade All-Star Point Guard Trae Young. With the Hawks currently sitting at 19-26 as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, the likelihood of a playoff run is doubtful. Meanwhile, Trae Young is comfortably averaging 27 points and 10 assists per game, seemingly making him the cornerstone of the Hawks lineup. However, points and assists do not tell the full story. One must take an analytical look at the advanced metrics to really see why Trae Young is not “True to Atlanta”.
Undoubtedly the biggest problem the Hawks have faced so far this season is on the defensive side, and Trae Young is not helping the cause. So far this season, Young was ranked 494th out of 520 players in the NBA in defensive plus-minus, which measures a player’s effect on team defense. Put into simpler terms, Trae Young is criminally bad at defense. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 28th in defensive rating this year, a good explanation for their below .500 record. If the Hawks were to trade Trae Young, they would be able to land a player that’s efficient on defense and offense plus some valuable draft picks from a needy team. An example would be Rui Hachimura and two first-round picks from the Lakers, a trade that may seem underwhelming now but would be beneficial in the long run.
One of the most important traits an NBA player can have is being coachable. A coachable player can adjust to his surroundings and use his skills according to what the team and his coaches need. Trae Young is just the opposite. Instead of sharing the court, the offense is run through Young, making it hard to get another player on the Hawks to consistently score. In fact, Hawks coach Nate McMillan was fired partly due to his frequent off-the-court disputes with Young, making team chemistry hard to come by. On top of that, his off-ball movement is horrendous, usually waiting at the top of the key for someone to pass to him rather than cutting to the basket and using his speed. He may be a 2-time All-Star, but that doesn’t translate into off-court behavior with staff and players alike.
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Hawks have a lot of decisions to make regarding the future of the team. As it stands today, the Hawks are leaning toward trading shooting guard Dejounte Murray, who was acquired by the Hawks from the Spurs just two seasons ago. Come February 8th, we can only hope the Hawks see the vision in trading Trae Young.
