It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Atlanta Hawks will split up their star backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
The reasons to do so are plentiful.
Through two seasons, the Hawks are 56-62 when their two stars play together. Murray was 14-14 without Young last season, and 17-18 without Young since joining the Hawks. Young was 2-2 without Murray in 2023-24 and 5-5 without him over the last two seasons.
The Hawks also had a minus-6.3 net efficiency differential with Murray and Young on the floor last season, per Cleaning The Glass.
However, several signs – both internal and external – that suggest patiences is in order.
Dallas Mavericks should cause pause in Hawks
The Dallas Mavericks are set to play in their first NBA Finals since winning it all in 2011, and they will face a perennial contender in the Boston Celtics. That is notable because the Mavs were 22-23 before hitting a seven-game winning streak that turned their season around.
They went from 29-23 at the trade deadline, sitting eighth in the Western Conference standings, to a 50-32 final mark and the West’s fifth seed.
The questions about Doncic’s fit alongside Kyrie Irving? Gone.
It is because Dallas made the right moves to bolster their roster around two, ultra-effective stars in Doncic and Irving, most notably with a pair of rim-protectors in Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II.
Dallas selected Lively with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 draft. Atlanta has a chance to do something similar with the No. 1 pick and French big man Alexadre Sarr.
Sarr, Murray, Young, and Jalen Johnson with De’Andre Hunter or Saddiq Bey could be tough.
“The first time I met Alex Sarr I told him he was going to be the #1 pick” 🗣️ @dwilkins3000 on @alexandresarr_ @KevinOConnorNBA pic.twitter.com/HCajr9SThF
— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) June 2, 2024
The Hawks and Mavericks have been inextricably linked for the past six years, ever since the draft night deal that sent No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic to the Mavs in exchange for Young and a pick that would later become Cam Reddish (snice-traded).
Details around the events leading up to that trade are nebulous at best.
Reports emerged stating Doncic was never coming to Atlanta, a notion Young’s father has confirmed despite their initial surprise his son landed with the Hawks.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently told the story of how he called Hawks owner Tony Ressler to hash out the landmark deal during an appearance on “The Draymond Green Show” with the Golden State Warriors star in April.
Cuban said Mavs scouts had Deandre Ayton ranked No. 1 in the class.
However, their analytics had Doncic as the top prospect. Furthermore, Cuban said they were hearing that the Hawks “wanted Trae.”
Given all that went into selecting Young and all that was given up to acquire Murray, pulling the plug on the experiment with so many other factors at play could prove foolhardy. And the Hawks might not be ready to concede just yet.