Only two years removed from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, the once-promising Atlanta Hawks are now spiraling. A play-in berth last season led to their first-round annihilation by the Heat, triggering a front-office makeover and an eventual head-coaching change. On Tuesday, they’ll face the Heat again, this time in the play-in, with the stakes even higher and the face of the franchise’s future potentially hanging in the balance.
With the offseason approaching, league sources say the Hawks’ front office has the green light from ownership to do whatever it wants to with the roster, which includes considering trade opportunities involving All-Star point guard Trae Young.
This should come as no real surprise considering what’s transpired over the course of the season. In March, Hawks owner Tony Ressler told The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz he’s neither opening nor closing the door on any players being moved. Months earlier, Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported on escalating tensions between Young and former head coach Nate McMillan, leading to team meetings and questions about Young’s leadership. Players reportedly sided with the coach over their star player. Things got so ugly that TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that Young could request a trade this summer if the Hawks fail to make “inroads’’ in the playoffs.
Regardless of Trae’s desire to stay, it could be the Hawks that decide to change course following a likely early exit from the play-in or the postseason.
After former general manager Travis Schlenk stepped down in December following the Hawks’ shaky start, a new regime was tabbed to call the shots: general manager Landry Fields, assistant general manager Kyle Korver, and head coach Quin Snyder, who was officially hired in February.