The Atlanta Hawks are a team in turmoil, at least according to an article that was published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday morning.
In the last month, the franchise has had negative reports emerge about the status of its head coach, its star player, its general manager, and more.
But the idea that Atlanta could trade its star point guard was reportedly broached and quickly became a serious point of contention between former general manager Travis Schlenk and team owner Tony Ressler. Chris Vivlamore, the sports editor of The AJC and the co-author of the piece, joined Mark Zinno on Monday afternoon to discuss.
"Here's what I can tell you from multiple sources," Vivlamore told Zinno and 92.9 the Game on Monday afternoon about a potential deal. "I don't know if it goes anywhere, but that has been discussed."
Whether or not that trade happens, or what it could even look like if it does, remains to be seen.
"Having Trae [Young] in your organization presents challenges," he continued. "We've seen some of them bubble out. We had an element in the reporting today that he didn't even fly back with the team after a loss to Miami in the playoffs last year. That stuff is from a young player that needs to mature and I think there are issues with that."
A lot has changed in the 19 months that followed the Hawks' magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, and a lot of that feels like it surrounds its star player.
"Trae Young is their guy right now, and he has to be because you traded Luka Doncic for him," Vivlamore continued. "We can all say they advanced the same amount in the playoffs, but Luka does what he does on a nightly basis. He's a perennial first-team All-NBA'er and All-Star. They have to live with that."
This isn't to say that Young isn't a marvelous offensive talent, because he certainly is. He has outstanding numbers. But the fact remains that he presents challenges for the Hawks. He's a defensive liability and has some less-than-desirable tendencies that they have to account for.
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In addition to the issues that could appear on the court, more reports have emerged that he chartered his own private flights instead of flying with the team during their first-round series with the Miami Heat.
Now still a game below .500, the team is still stuck in neutral. Admittedly, that doesn't mean things are about to be torn up, but the team is clearly in a difficult position as we cross the halfway mark of the season.
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