Three years after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks have sagged toward mediocrity. They haven’t been able to find an elixir for their problems, and as a result, they’ve become a team to watch in trade rumors this NBA offseason.
Prior to last season, they traded for former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, thinking he would make them a dark horse contender. Instead, their win total dipped from 43 during the 2021-22 season to 41 the following year and 36 this year.
For months, there have been rumors that Atlanta will break up its talented but disappointing starting backcourt of Murray and Trae Young. Young has seen his name come up in trade rumors and has been linked to teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, and there has been talk that Murray could be on his way out.
Now, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, other teams are expecting the team to look to trade De’Andre Hunter.
Hunter, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 15.6 points a game while shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range, both of which were career highs. His contract runs through the 2062-27 season, and perhaps unloading would be a way for the Hawks to trim their payroll and give themselves the salary cap flexibility they need to retool.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: De’Andre Hunter, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks Updates
He could be seen as a nice complementary piece for a team that is already good or even a contender but needs that one more piece in order to take the next step toward becoming NBA champions.
For many years, the Hawks have seemingly been in that unenviable spot of being a decent team, but not a good enough team to seriously contend for the world title. At the same time, when they have been bad, they have usually not been bad enough to get a really high draft pick that could turn things around.
There was one exception to the latter. In 2018, they had the No. 3 pick in the draft and used it on a Slovenia native named Luka Doncic, only to send him to the Dallas Mavericks on draft day for Young, who was the No. 5 pick.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: De’Andre Hunter, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks Updates
Doncic has taken an undermanned Mavs team to the NBA Finals, while Young is being derided by many for being a low-efficiency chucker who is turnover-prone and plays no defense. It is quite possible that Young won’t have as much trade value on the open market as Atlanta thinks he does.
At this point, one has to think that Atlanta regrets giving up Doncic on draft day six years ago and instead pins its hopes on the diminutive Young.
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