The headlines all read that the trade market for Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has been “chilly,” following a report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Lowe noted the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in mentioning Young’s market.
Rumors linked both organizations to Young since the deadline when his name came up in reports in the wake of their rumored talks with the Hawks.
“San Antonio has not shown much recent interest in that, sources said. The Spurs understand the potential value of those picks, and they (for now) appear to favor holding them hostage over swapping them back to Atlanta,” Lowe wrote on July 5. “The Lakers, too, have shown little recent interest in Young, sources said. That could change if the price drops to L.A.'s liking. But the market for Young is as chilly as it has ever been.”
The trade for Murray seemed to solidify Young’s place within the organization.
They were also not expected to part with both star guards after early speculation suggested that would indeed be an option, per Action Network’s Matt Moore.
However, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Ficher reported on June 28 that the Hawks were expected to continue exploring trade options for everyone on the roster other than 2021 first-round pick Jalen Johnson and rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.
Still, this is not the first report on Murray having a more robust trade market than Young.
“For Atlanta, the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray partnership just never worked; two years of it,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “SportsCenter” on June 29. “Simply, it was easier to trade Dejounte Murray. There was more of a market with his contract and kind of where he is right now in this league.”
Finances and other factors at play in Hawks’ trade decision
Murray is beginning a four-year contract that Spotrac projects to go from $114 million to $122 million with his trade kicker.
He will count $28.3 million against the cap in 2024-25.
Young is entering Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract with a $43 million cap hit for next season. Both players have player options for the final year of their respective deals. But there is a $17.6 million increase from Murray’s final number to Young’s.
Murray, who was playing out of position with the Hawks, is also a bigger point guard at 6-foot-5 while the 6-foot-1 Young is widely viewed as a defensive liability.
The Hawks’ answer this offseason has seemingly been to better complement Young.
Lowe’s insight highlights an underlying trend about the decision though and could bring into question Young’s long-term future with the organization. But it also suggests the Hawks have maintained a high asking price despite listening to offers.
Talks with the Lakers previously broke down over the Hawks’ reluctance to take back D’Angelo Russell. They also had eyes for Austin Reaves but the Lakers did not want to include him.
He has repeatedly said he wants to stay while leaning into his desire to win.
It remains unclear how Young views the moves the Hawks have made. But the roster features more length than last season. There is also still the chance the Hawks make further tweaks to the roster around Young.