A new era in Hawks basketball will begin in October. Trae Young was drafted four years ago and completely changed the landscape in Atlanta. He quickly became the team’s best player as ownership put their time and money behind the young superstar. Travis Schlenk went out two offseasons ago and acquired Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and a few other role players to give Young a real shot at the postseason.
With the first competitive roster he’s had in his career, Ice Trae led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, and if it weren’t for an untimely injury, who knows what would’ve happened in the series against the Bucks. Last season, the front office decided to run it back with the same roster; it ended up not being the right decision.
The Hawks struggled for much of the season and squeaked into the playoffs via two play-in games. Once in the postseason, the Hawks were dismantled by a more physical Heat team. But this offseason has brought new life to the Hawks.
Before free agency even began, Atlanta acquired former Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray to give the Hawks one of (if not) the best backcourt in the Association. Young is excited and isn’t shying away from his expectations of Murray and the team, speaking with NBA TV during the Summer League.
“I just know what type of player he is. I know what he can bring to our team. I wanna win championships in Atlanta. I think he can ultimately help take us to that level. We’ve been in the playoffs, we’ve been on a run, but I think he can take us to that next level,” Young shared when asked about Murray and why he wanted to team up with him.
Murray is an All-Star and the first Trae Young will play with in his entire career. The Celtics, 76ers, and Bucks are all still championship-caliber teams, but we’ve seen five different teams win the Eastern Conference Finals in the past five seasons. There is no reason the Hawks can’t get to the NBA Finals behind their All-Star backcourt.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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