Trae Young Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Young, Wizards’ GM Search, Draft, F. Wagner

April 19th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trae Young was one of the stars of the 2021 playoffs, but he hasn’t been able to reach that level since then, writes Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. Young and the Hawks have looked overmatched in the first two games of their series with the Celtics, getting blown out early both times. Young is shooting 35% from the field and 23% from three-point range so far, and Atlanta has been outscored by 32 points when he’s on the court.

It’s a big difference from two years ago, when Young led the Hawks past the Knicks and Sixers, then helped take the eventual champion Bucks to six games. A report earlier this month indicated that Atlanta’s new front office is willing to consider trading Young this summer, and an early playoff exit could push the team in that direction.

“The ball hasn’t gone in for him the way that it can and will,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the Game 2 loss. “He’s no different than anyone else on the team, as far as finding a rhythm. Trae will be the first one on the plane watching the tape and trying to figure out ways he can play better.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said the team will replace general manager and president Tommy Sheppard with “an executive from outside the organization,” per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Robbins expects the team to check on the availability of Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri and Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly. Robbins points out that Connelly is originally from Baltimore and broke into the NBA as an intern with the Wizards in 1996.
Tyler Byrum and Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington have released a new mock draft that has the Wizards landing Arkansas guard Anthony Black if they keep the No. 8 pick after the lottery. Byrum and Hughes note that Washington needs a long-term answer at point guard and Black would provide an upgrade on defense.
Magic forward Franz Wagner talked to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel about the progress he made during his second NBA season. Wagner took over more ball-handling responsibilities after early-season injuries in the team’s backcourt and now feels like a more complete player. “The way I play now, I wish I would’ve played a little earlier in the season,” he said. “Not necessarily meaning stats, but the way I play. Earlier on in the season, I might have forced a little bit more than was helpful for the team. But I think that’s part of it. I learned a lot.”

And-Ones: Pate, Ignite, Awards, Combine, Players’ MVP Pick

April 18th, 2023 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Dink Pate, a 6’8″ point guard and a five-star recruit, has signed with the G League Ignite, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Having just turned 17 in March, Pate will be the youngest known professional basketball player in U.S. history, according to Givony, who notes that the youngster won’t be draft-eligible until 2025. That means he’s committing to spending two seasons with the Ignite, like Scoot Henderson did from 2021-23.

According to Pate, he considered the possibility of committing to a college program and was leaning toward Alabama over Arkansas, but believes he’ll have a better opportunity to continue developing his game with the Ignite.

After graduating high school a year early, Pate intends to move to Las Vegas later this month and begin training at the Ignite’s practice facility with new teammates Matas Buzelis and London Johnson, per Givony. Buzelis is a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, while Johnson currently projects to be a first-rounder.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

After naming Jaren Jackson Jr. the Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, the NBA will announce another major postseason award winner for each of the next three evenings (Twitter link). Newly added award Clutch Player of the Year is due up on Tuesday, followed by Coach of the Year on Wednesday and Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday.
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links), the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will make it mandatory for prospects who receive an invite to the draft combine to attend and do what’s required of them there (that will likely include medical testing but not scrimmages). A player who declines a combine invite without an excused absence won’t be draft-eligible until the following year, says Pincus.
The Athletic’s NBA writers polled 108 current NBA players on a series of NBA-related questions, including their MVP pick, their title prediction, and much more. Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic have compiled the results, which include Sixers star Joel Embiid (50% of the vote) comfortably beating out Nikola Jokic (25.5%) as the players’ MVP choice; Hawks guard Trae Young getting the most votes (14.5%) for the NBA’s most overrated player; and Bucks guard Jrue Holiday earning the nod as both the best individual defender (28.7%) and most underrated player (17.5%).

Hawks Notes: Play-In Win, Bey, Young, T. Miller

April 12th, 2023 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks pulled off an upset victory in Miami on Tuesday night to secure a playoff berth and a first-round matchup against Boston. However, despite becoming the first team to defeat a No. 7 seed in a play-in tournament, head coach Quin Snyder and star guard Trae Young didn’t sound prepared to bask in the glow of the achievement after the game, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.

Asked if the Hawks’ playoff-clinching win was something to celebrate, Snyder said that it was something to “appreciate,” while Young replied, “No, what’s there to celebrate?”

“I mean, it’s cool we made the playoffs,” Young continued. “I’m happy for guys like Saddiq (Bey) who’ve never been in the playoffs, and some of the other rookies and J.J. (Jalen Johnson) and some of the other guys who this is their first time to be able to experience the playoffs, but I mean, for me, I’ve been in the playoffs now three times and a couple of guys have been in way more than I have. It’s cool to be in the playoffs, but you want to win games in the playoffs.”

Here’s more on the Hawks:

Only Young and Dejounte Murray played more in Tuesday’s play-in victory for the Hawks than Saddiq Bey, who came off the bench to score 17 points in 33 minutes. Bey, having begun the season in Detroit, wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to play in his first postseason game if not for the February trade that sent him to Atlanta. “I never knew it was going to be like this,” Bey said on Tuesday, per Vardon. “I’m just glad to be here, it’s a blessing to be here. But yeah, I was up thinking about it all night. I tried to force myself to sleep, and I thought I hit my deep sleep, but then I’d toss and turn and wake up and it was like, ‘Oh, I’m thinking about the playoffs again.'”
Appearing on TNT’s broadcast on Tuesday night (Twitter video link), Jared Greenberg reported that a member of the Hawks’ front office called Trae Young to assure him there was “no merit” to any trade rumors involving him. “They were assuring him that he’s a part of this family,” Greenberg said.
The Hawks are promoting Tori Miller to a vice president position, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Miller, who will become one of the NBA’s highest-ranking female executives as a result of the promotion, had been the general manager of the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate.

Southeast Notes: Young, Lowry, Jovic, Ball

April 11th, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trae Young addressed a report that the Hawks might listen to offers for him in the offseason, saying he had more urgent matters to attend to — namely, Tuesday’s play-in game against Miami, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.

“Especially as the player in the moment, you can’t look at what’s gonna come on next year,” the Hawks’ star guard said. “After the game, if the game doesn’t go your way tonight, what’s gonna happen? Like, you can’t focus on things like that. That messes up your head and then you’re not ready to play so, me, I’m not worried about that. I’m gonna let my game play. After the season, whatever happens, happens.”

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link), Young has developed a “solid” relationship with coach Quin Snyder but the Hawks “are continuing to monitor (his) day-to-day commitment and his habits on a day-to-day basis, on the floor and off the floor.” Atlanta’s front office wants to see if Young will become a better leader and Charania expects Young’s agent, Rich Paul, to have conversations with management this offseason about his future.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Heat guard Kyle Lowry, who will be entering the final season of his three-year contract in 2023/24, isn’t sure if he’ll require left knee surgery this offseason, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I don’t know,” Lowry said. “We’ll get to that point when it’s there.” He has been limited to 55 games this season due primarily to left knee pain.
Heat rookie Nikola Jovic missed 37 games this season due to back issues and he told Chiang that he’s been battling back pain since last summer. “It’s something that started during the summer league,” Jovic said. “That’s when I first felt it. Then just through the season, it was hurting more and more. At one point, I just couldn’t play anymore. The back injury was bothering me even off the court. So I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
LaMelo Ball, who missed 46 games this season due to ankle ailments, said he’s happy with the Hornets, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press. “I love it here,” he said. “I can’t really tell the future. We’ll just see how it goes and go from there.” However, he doesn’t want to be on a lottery-bound team much longer. “The main thing is winning. Life if better when you win,” he said. Ball is eligible for an extension this offseason.

Hawks May Be Willing To Trade Trae Young

April 10th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

An early exit for the Hawks could lead to an offseason shakeup that might include a trade involving Trae Young, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

Young has been regarded as Atlanta’s franchise player since he was drafted in 2018, but recent changes to the front office and coaching staff may point the team in a new direction, O’Connor states. Young had a tense relationship with former head coach Nate McMillan before he was replaced in February and may no longer be viewed as indispensable.

Sources tell O’Connor that the Hawks’ front office has received approval from ownership to make any roster changes it believes are necessary this summer. That group includes general manager Landry Fields and assistant general manager Kyle Korver — who have been running the team since former president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk moved into an advisory role in December — along with Quin Snyder, who demanded a say in personnel decisions when he took over as head coach. Many rival teams believe Snyder now has the final say in roster moves, according to O’Connor’s sources.

Snyder has been working to install the motion offense that was successful for him in Utah, but it has been difficult to overhaul the team’s style of play in just a few weeks. He also wants the Hawks to operate at a faster pace than they did under McMillan.

Both those concepts don’t seem to fit well with Young, who has gotten used to monopolizing the ball. O’Connor notes that even after Young pushed for the acquisition of Dejounte Murray as a second ball-handler, he often looks disengaged when he’s not running the offense and rarely cuts to the basket.

Young’s defensive limitations also remain an issue, O’Connor adds, which Snyder understands because he used to target Young on that end of court when he was coaching the Jazz. O’Connor points out that Atlanta has been among the bottom half of the league in defensive rating every season since Young arrived.

Young is in the first season of a five-year, $215MM extension that he agreed to in 2021. He will make $40MM, $43MM and $46MM over the next three years and has an early termination option for his $49MM salary in 2026/27.

While the Hawks will explore their options with Young this summer, O’Connor emphasizes that the odds are always against a major star being traded unless he forces his way out. O’Connor adds that the most likely scenario remains that Atlanta will keep Young and Murray together and try to rebuild the roster around them.

Southeast Notes: Young, Wizards, Heat Arena, Magic

April 4th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trae Young will miss the Hawks’ showdown with the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness, the team tweets. The Hawks are currently tied with Toronto for eighth place in the East at 39-39 with Chicago right behind at 38-40. Seedings for the play-in tournament are up for grabs and finishing seventh or eighth provides teams with an advantage.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards will retain their 2023 first-round pick by virtue of missing the playoffs, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. The pick this year was lottery protected, stemming from a 2020 trade with the Rockets. The Knicks are now owed the Wizards’ 2024 pick, which is top-12 protected — that protection decreases to top-10 in 2025 and top-eight in 2026. If none of those convey, the Knicks would receive two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
The Heat’s home arena is now called Kaseya Center, the team announced in a press release. The building was called American Airlines Arena from 1999-2021 and FTX Arena from 2021-23. Kaseya is a global provider of unified IT management and security software for managed services providers and IT professionals.
The Magic have faint playoff hopes — they need to win their remaining four games and hope Chicago goes 0-4 this week. However, Orlando is energized by the fact it has hung around the postseason picture this long, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “Regardless, we’re going to continue playing to win,” guard Jalen Suggs said. “I said it last week before our road trip; I’ll say it again: we’re not playing this game to just go out there. … We’re going out to win, night in and night out.”

Hawks Notes: Young, Snyder, Mathews, Hunter

March 25th, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks guard Trae Young faces a fine and a possible suspension after being ejected from Saturday’s game for firing the ball at an official (video link), writes Charles Odum of The Associated Press.

Young was apparently upset over a technical he received seconds earlier after being whistled for sticking out his leg to draw contact on a three-point shot. During a time out, Young threw the ball hard at referee Scott Wall, who caught it and then tossed Young out of the game.

“It’s just a play he can’t make,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I told him that. He knows it.”

The technicals brought Young’s total for the season to 15, which is one short of an automatic suspension. With Atlanta fighting for playoff seeding at 37-37, a one-game absence for its leading scorer could be critical.

Snyder said Young admitted a lapse in judgment, adding, “There wasn’t a single part of him that tried to rationalize what happened.”

There’s more from Atlanta:

Snyder has only been the Hawks’ coach for about a month, but he believes the players are buying into his philosophy, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Snyder’s priority after taking over in late February was to instill an emphasis on defense. “I think we’re just trying to continue to emphasize certain habits defensively, that I think we saw some progress and some of those just everything that we can do to help us protect the paint,” he said, “beginning with getting back on defense and having a wall where they see bodies through a possession, or pick up points, people getting into bodies and being blocked, not getting beat in the middle, or we can help each other getting hits on the boards or protect the paint that way.”
Garrison Mathews, who was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline, asked Snyder what he needs to do to get more playing time, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. Mathews has only appeared in five games with Atlanta and is averaging 7.6 minutes per night. Snyder said his status is a result of circumstances, but added, “He’s a tough player. You can always use tough players.”
De’Andre Hunter missed today’s game with a left knee contusion, Williams tweets. His status for Sunday’s contest against Memphis hasn’t been announced.

Celtics Notes: Griffin, Tatum, Smart, Stoudamire

March 13th, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics players have been impressed by the way former All-Star Blake Griffin has made the transition to role player. Griffin’s work ethic hasn’t waned, even though he’s no longer the high-flying, high-scoring big man who starred for the Clippers and Pistons, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes.

“You just don’t see that with guys that were at his level,” forward Jayson Tatum said. “It’s been really unique to see. I appreciate that a lot. The guys do as well. He never makes it about himself, and it’s contagious. His energy, his enthusiasm, his personality. We’re all very fortunate to have him as a teammate, because everybody respects him and respects what he’s accomplished, and his voice carries.”

Griffin is on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract and will be a free agent again this summer.

We have more on the Celtics:

Tatum may be a candidate for the Most Valuable Player award and All-NBA First Team accolades but he’s only got one goal in mind, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “The only thing that matters to me is winning a championship,” Tatum said. “Not MVP, not first-team All-NBA, none of that. I want to get back to the Finals and get over the hump.”
Marcus Smart has been fined $25K for initiating an on-court altercation and pulling Hawks guard Trae Young to the floor, the NBA PR department tweets. Both players were assessed a technical foul and Smart was ejected during the altercation, which occurred with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 134-125 win over the Hawks on Saturday.
The team has no plans to immediately replace Damon Stoudamire on Joe Muzzalla‘s staff, Himmelsbach tweets. Stoudamire left his assistant coaching job to become Georgia Tech’s head coach.

Hawks Notes: Resslers, Front Office, Snyder, Young, Bogdanovic

March 3rd, 2023 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks owner Tony Ressler believes his team has underachieved this season, which is why he decided to overhaul the front office and signed off on the new group’s plan to replace head coach Nate McMillan with Quin Snyder, he tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Ressler, he’s staying out of basketball decisions and has given new general manager Landry Fields the autonomy to make those calls. The Hawks’ owner said he removed Travis Schlenk from his role as the team’s head of basketball operations because he wasn’t happy with the front office’s level of “collaboration and communication,” per Wojnarowski.

“I can tell you this: Landry and (assistant GM) Kyle (Korver) are running a much better, much more collaborative front office,” Ressler said. “That’s of huge importance to me because I think that’s how you get better. Having ownership, a front office, a coaching staff and the right roster — when all of those folks work well together, I think results improve. That was the objective and that’s why I made the change that I did.”

There has been some skepticism about the new-look Hawks’ front office due to the relatively inexperienced nature of the head executives, along with the reported empowerment of Tony’s son Nick Ressler. However, the elder Ressler expressed full confidence in the new group.

“What I’ve always done is rely on people who know more than I do to run a business better than I could,” Ressler said to ESPN. “Who makes the decisions (now), it’s undoubtedly Landry with Kyle — with (head coach) Quin (Snyder). (They) are going to work beautifully together from what I can tell. I do believe we will make better decisions going forward than we have done in the past.”

Here’s more on the Hawks:

In a separate interview with Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ressler insisted that his son Nick’s influence in the basketball operations department has been overstated. “Nick works in the organization, helps me in both the business and basketball operations, helps me understand the goings-on of the organization, if you will, helps me evaluate what we’re doing,” Tony said. “But he sits in the same role (I do). He’s in ownership, but is full time to the organization. So the simple answer, is ‘No, he’s not in charge of any (basketball) decision-making.'”
Although the Hawks have made some roster moves this year that seemed aimed at avoiding the luxury tax, Ressler insists those moves weren’t driven by him. “We’re not worried about the luxury tax,” he told Williams. “… Do I think it’s a good idea to be incredibly average (and) in the luxury tax? I’d rather not. I’d rather be contending in the luxury tax or being a great team in the luxury tax. But at the end of the day, I’ve never suggested a trade to get out of the luxury tax ever. Whoever said that will be giving you an untruth, directly, indirectly, intentionally, unintentionally. Never said it. Never will.”
Rival executives lauded the Hawks for the hiring of Snyder, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who spoke to Williams for the latest HoopsHype podcast. There have been suggestions that Snyder may have taken the job in part to have a bigger say in roster changes — when Williams spoke to Snyder she got the impression that while Fields and Korver will “weigh his opinion pretty heavily,” but she doesn’t believe Snyder’s voice will be the “end all and be all.”
Williams also touched on the slow-developing chemistry of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, saying “they’re still learning from each other” and suggesting that the two guards may not have a close relationship. Williams is surprised by that because Young was eager to team up with Murray in the offseason. Williams says Young “is a nice guy,” but has heard “sometimes he has some trouble endearing himself to his teammates off the court,” though she says people like playing with him.
Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic is expected to decline his $18MM player option for 2023/24 and enter unrestricted free agency, says Scotto. Williams is a little skeptical Bogdanovic will exceed $18MM per year on his next contract due to his injury history, but Scotto believes he could at least equal, if not exceed, that total on annual basis, noting that the salary cap is expected to go up each year for the foreseeable future. It could be tricky for Atlanta to re-sign Bogdanovic, Scotto adds, citing luxury tax concerns.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Hawks Notes: Young, Snyder, Lineups, Murray

March 2nd, 2023 at 11:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The bond between maximum-salaried Hawks star point guard Trae Young and newly signed head coach Quin Snyder will be imperative to establish for the future of the club, per Jeff Schultz of The Athletic.

“My focus with Trae is on what lies ahead,” Snyder said. “It’s an opportunity for both of us to make each other better, to challenge him and for him to respond and grow. He’s had so much success at a young age, and this is a tough league and you become highly scrutinized with everything you do. The discussions we’ve had is, let’s just get better. I’m not going to be right all the time and that’s the partnership that allows people to grow together. That relationship is important to me and I think it’s important to him.”

Rumored tensions between Young and former head coach Nate McMillan clearly soured that duo’s dynamic, and seem to have played a part in McMillan’s firing late last month.

There’s more out of Atlanta:

Snyder elaborated on his decision to take over the head coaching gig midway through the 2022/23 season, as opposed to waiting to sign on until the summer, per ESPN/The Associated Press. “It’s always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity,” Snyder said. “As I thought about it, I think the opportunity to come in now, although maybe challenging, is also an opportunity to hopefully go on a run… Also, and I think these things are not mutually exclusive, to begin to build a foundation, a culture.”
Hard choices await Snyder with Atlanta, details John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger opines that he may want to start by juicing up the team’s three-point shooting and moving new addition Saddiq Bey into the starting five for power forward John Collins. Hollinger also has a few other small improvements in mind for freeing up the club’s offense, as well as team-building ideas beyond 2022/23.
For his part, Hawks shooting guard Dejounte Murray appears to be excited to collaborate with Snyder, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “For me, it’s his attention to detail,” Murray said of the element that most stands out in Snyder’s coaching technique. “He’s already been breaking down film, since there’s been a conversation for him to come here, and just listening to everything from defensive personnel to the offense of focusing on getting more mismatches and everything we want to do just to come together and build toward being a great team.”