West rival eyeing Hawks' $114 million star for blockbuster offseason trade

The Atlanta Hawks are expected to make changes this offseason after a 36-46 regular season ended with a first-round Play-In Tournament exit, up to and including splitting up their star backcourt. 

While it remains unclear who between the Trae Young and Dejounte Murray the Hawks would prefer to hold on to, the rest of the league could have a say in exactly who the Hawks look to build around going forward.

Take the latest buzz around the San Antonio Spurs as a prime example.

“Spurs fans have been buzzing about the team getting in the mix for a Trae Young trade this summer, as he is the most acclaimed point guard likely to be available,” NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin wrote on April 22. “League sources have told NBC Sports not to bet on that happening, as San Antonio doesn’t see Young as a fit with [Victor] Wembanyama going forward.”

The idea of playing with Wembanyama was rumored to be of some interest to Young while the Hawks and Spurs held trade talks regarding the three-time All-Star according to reports.

“The Spurs might be more interested in the Hawks’ Dejounte Murray,” Helin wrote.

San Antonio has also held interest in reacquiring Murray since at least the trade deadline. After reports surfaced he wouldn’t be too keen on returning, Murray came out and expressed his appreciation for the rumored interest from his former team.

Several teams have been listed as potential suitors for Young this offseason, including the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.

It is unclear what it would take to acquire Young if he was made available.

There were several iterations of a rumored asking price for Murray. The most recent had the Hawks seeking “two first-round picks” in any deal for the one-time All-Star, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor in January.

Murray and Young have brushed aside trade rumors, focusing on the factors within their control instead. Bot players are under contract, Murray up to 2027-28 on a four-year, $114 million contract, and Young up to 2026-27 on a five-year, $215.1 million pact.

But the expectations for changes – or at least that discussion – have come from within.

Hawks star duo up against internal forces

“The key was to get Quin, and to get a quality coach, and a proven guy. And [the front office] got that done,” Hawks assistant coach Mike Brey said on “The Starting Lineup” on March 13. “And then, kind of evaluate where you’re at.

“I think there were some trade things that were thoroughly discussed before the deadline, but nothing materialized. And I agreed. Nobody wanted to panic and just give away stuff. You gotta take a step back and look at it. But you got the two guards. Are those two guys gonna play together, Murray and Young? Is that something you want to keep moving forward with?”

To that end, Snyder pushed to keep Murray through the trade deadline, and the player professed nothing but love for the coach during his exit interview.

Snyder’s relationship with Young is also said to remain in a good place.

All of that sets up an interesting situation where the front office and ownership may put the decision on Snyder to choose one of his stars this offseason. The other option is to retool to put a better-fitting group around the duo.

If the Hawks are willing to go to the extreme of potentially trading both players this offseason – which seems unlikely with Snyder locked in – re-tooling around them should be on the table.