Atlanta Hawks Need to Start Asking Questions After Trae Young’s Terrible Play-In Performance vs Chicago

Ice Trae did everything he could to force the Hawks past the Chicago Bulls, but his shooting was ice cold. Even though he finished the night with 22 points, his wasteful shooting cost his team opportunities to close the gap.

Legion Hoops posted something that damns his performance even further:

While he did dish out ten assists against the Bulls, being careless enough to commit six turnovers is a quick way to kill off any momentum the team was building.

It didn’t matter that Clint Capela had 22 points and 17 rebounds. Dejounte Murray shooting at an effective 52.4% clip to finish with 30 points doesn’t mean squat. Bojan Bogdanovic can put up a shift on both ends of the floor and it will still be irrelevant. Sure, Alex Caruso and the rest of the Bulls might have pulled off a great defensive shift against him.

If the team’s star player doesn’t perform to the lofty standards expected out of a franchise cornerstone, any team in a star-centric league like the NBA won’t be able to go far.

Should the Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young?

After this disappointing play-in exit, it’s clear that time is quickly running out for both the Hawks and Young. It might sound blasphemous for die-hard Hawks fans, but trading Young away is definitely in the cards for the team.

It’s clear at this point that their team is more of a group of talented players patched together rather than an actual basketball team, and Young might not be in the timeline for what the front office wants to build.

ClutchPoints’ Sonny Giuliano made four intriguing trade suggestions to teams that could use a player like Young in return for talent and draft capital. The idea of Young playing for the Spurs or the Lakers is an intriguing prospect for any well-meaning basketball fan.

However, it might be better for the Hawks to try it out with Young at least one more year. They’re a piece away from building the perfect roster that can stand out in the weaker Eastern Conference.

If they can somehow manage to find a good big man who can stretch the floor and provide the defensive coverage Capela offers, the Hawks can easily make another trip back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Until then, the Hawks should try to rebuild the roster to prove the doubters wrong about their decision to pass on a generational player like Luka Doncic.