A former executive defends Atlanta's Trae Young move, highlighting surprising strengths in the trade package and the team's emerging core.
The Atlanta Hawks are officially in the post-Trae Young era. The four-time All-Star point guard has been moved to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Corey Kispert and C.J. McCollum, signaling a significant shift in direction for the franchise after years of building around Young as its offensive centerpiece.
This trade signals that the Hawks feel rather comfortable with the young core they have of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniel, and Zaccharie Risacher. Nickeil Alexander-Walker playing at such a high level may have also given Hawks' GM Onsi Saleh a reason to move on from Trae.
Former NBA GM Ryan McDonough recently made an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, and believes that the Atlanta Hawks actually did well with this trade:
“I actually think the Hawks did okay [with this Trae Young trade]," McDonough said. "That may surprise some, but I think Trae Young may have been the most polarizing player in the league in terms of disparity between what a lot of the fan base and some members of the media think of him and what the other 29 teams actually think of Trae Young."
Some Hawks fans may have been slightly upset that Atlanta did not receive any draft compensation for Young, but it's important to note that McCollum is averaging nearly 19 points a game and shooting 39.3% on three-point attempts.
Corey Kispert is still just 26 years old, and also shooting nearly 40% from three-point range.
It will be a fresh start for Trae Young in Washington, and Hawks fans will certainly be a little bittersweet that he's gone for now, but it's time to turn the page. It's also important to understand that Trae Young might not have been moved if Jalen Johnson wasn't enjoying a breakout season as Atlanta's primary ball handler.
Alexander-Walker was also brought in this offseason, and is averaging 20.2 points per game at the point guard position, so it's clear the Hawks are comfortable with their internal options, and the front office obviously hopes CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert can help the team win a few extra games.
As for more trade buzz, the NBA trade deadline is less than a month away (February 5th), and it will be interesting to see if the Hawks remain active in making other deals.
Atlanta is 18-21, and set to head out west for a tough four-game road trip that features three teams in the Western Conference playoff picture.