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With the Feb. 5 trade deadline a little over a month away, many are wondering about the status of Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young.
During Monday’s episode of The Hoop Collective (6:00 mark), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that all signs point to the Hawks dealing away Young sooner rather than later.
“The Hawks certainly are indicating that they’re looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young,” MacMahon said. “They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case with your face of the franchise, that’s a pretty clear message that the end could be near.”
MacMahon went on to add that Young is in a similar boat to point guards LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, as there won’t be a strong trade market for any of them.
“It’s not going to be easy,” MacMahon said. “There’s not going to be some wide array of teams raising their hand and trying to get in on the bidding, and I’m not sure if you’re even gonna be able to make a trade that’s going to bring value in return.”
Young recently returned from a nearly two-month absence due to a sprained MCL in his right knee, but the Hawks’ struggles have continued. Atlanta has lost six consecutive games and ranks 10th in the Eastern Conference at 15-18, most recently losing 128-125 to the New York Knicks on Saturday. Young had just nine points in the loss, his second single-digit scoring performance in five games since returning to the court.
For now, Young will try to get back to his old self when the Hawks take on the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (27-5) on Monday night.