CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 16: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
There have been a ton of disappointing teams this season. The most notable of the bunch have been the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks because, per usual, big markets dominate the headlines.
But the most disappointing team that no one is talking about is the Atlanta Hawks. Based on preseason expectations, the Hawks have wildly underachieved this year.
3 co-stars for Trae Young the Atlanta Hawks should target
Just last season, the Hawks went on an incredible run to the Eastern Conference Finals where they eventually lost to the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, this year, they find themselves fighting for a play-in spot. At the time of writing this, Atlanta has a record of 35-36, which is good for tenth in the East.
Most people expected the Hawks to be a top team in the East after their Cinderella run, mostly because of how great Trae Young was. And the crazy part is, Young has been phenomenal this year.
On the season, Young is averaging 27.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from behind the three-point line. Those are career-high shooting numbers from both the field and from deep.
Unfortunately, the talent around him hasn’t been up to par, and the Hawks could look to re-tool around Young this offseason. Maybe it’s time to find a new co-star on the roster.
John Collins and Clint Capela are great, but neither are All-Star-caliber players and in the most talented league in the world, that might be what Young needs. So who could they target this offseason?
Atlanta Hawks. Based on preseason expectations, the Hawks have wildly underachieved this year.</p>
<h2>3 co-stars for Trae Young the Atlanta Hawks should target</h2>
<p>Just last season, the Hawks went on an incredible run to the Eastern Conference Finals where they eventually lost to the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.</p>
<p>However, this year, they find themselves fighting for a play-in spot. At the time of writing this, Atlanta has a record of 35-36, which is good for tenth in the East.</p>
<p>Most people expected the Hawks to be a top team in the East after their Cinderella run, mostly because of how great Trae Young was. And the crazy part is, Young has been phenomenal this year.</p>
<p>On the season, Young is averaging 27.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from behind the three-point line. Those are career-high shooting numbers from both the field and from deep.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the talent around him hasn’t been up to par, and the Hawks could look to re-tool around Young this offseason. Maybe it’s time to find a new co-star on the roster.</p>
<p>John Collins and Clint Capela are great, but neither are All-Star-caliber players and in the most talented league in the world, that might be what Young needs. So who could they target this offseason?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Target #1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-443400" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1314649208.jpeg" alt="Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1314649208.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1314649208-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">DETROIT, MICHIGAN – APRIL 26: Jerami Grant #9 of the Detroit Pistons drives around Kevin Huerter #3 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Little Caesars Arena on April 26, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3 co-stars for Trae Young the Atlanta Hawks should target: Jerami Grant</h2>
<p>We’ll use the term co-star somewhat loosely, as denoting Jerami Grant as an All-Star-caliber player might be a bit of a stretch. He’s put up great numbers, but he hasn’t done so on a winning team just yet.</p>
<p>That being said, he could fit in nicely with the Atlanta Hawks if they could manage to pull off a trade for him. And with the Detroit Pistons looking to pivot toward a complete rebuild, there’s a chance he could be dealt this summer.</p>
<p>Grant is having a decent year, but as of late, his numbers have been off the charts. Detroit has been playing great basketball for the past month or so (in comparison to their previous level of play).</p>
<p>Since the All-Star break, Grant has been averaging 20.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from deep.</p>
<p>His defense would also be a huge help to an Atlanta team that has notoriously struggled on that side of the floor. Before he headed to Detroit, he was a great 3&D guy in Denver.</p>
<p>And while he would definitely have a major role with the Hawks, he’d play a major 3&D role for them at the wing position, which would be the perfect fit next to Trae Young.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Target #2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-441069" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1299365576.jpeg" alt="Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1299365576.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1299365576-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 29: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles in front of Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on January 29, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3 co-stars for Trae Young the Atlanta Hawks should target: Bradley Beal</h2>
<p>There have been a ton of question marks surrounding what Bradley Beal plans to do this offseason. He hasn’t signed an extension with the Washington Wizards, but also didn’t say that he was planning on leaving.</p>
<p>There have been some rumblings that he could be interested in teaming up with Joel Embiid and James Harden on the Philadelphia 76ers, but he would also be a solid fit next to Trae Young with the Atlanta Hawks.</p>
<p>Beal is a professional scorer. That’s what he’s always been. And although he had a down year this season, putting that sort of shot creation alongside Young would take a ton of pressure off of him.</p>
<p>When the Wizards were at their best (in recent years), Beal was a secondary star next to John Wall. Beal has grown since then and Young is an extremely different player than Wall, but the point is, we’ve seen that Beal can find success next to a top-level point guard.</p>
<p>Both players would benefit from having another shot creator playing alongside them, as neither has really had that for the past couple of seasons.</p>
<p>Add in a rim protector like Clint Capela, a defender like De’Andre Hunter, and shooters like Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the Hawks would have a super-talented core.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Target #3 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-440615" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2287,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1311296501.jpeg" alt="Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks" width="3200" height="2287" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1311296501.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1311296501-768x549.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 06: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks battles Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at State Farm Arena on April 6, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3 co-stars for Trae Young the Atlanta Hawks should target: Zion Williamson</h2>
<p>Let’s get absolutely crazy and completely unrealistic. I’ll preface this by saying that there’s almost no chance that Zion Williamson gets traded this summer, but it’s worth bringing up.</p>
<p>There’s around a 99.9 percent chance that Williamson is still with the New Orleans Pelicans at the start of next season. But let’s just briefly focus on that 0.01 percent for a moment.</p>
<p>Williamson has yet to play this season, and at this point, it’s become clear that he’s not going to. Despite this, the Pelicans have shown flashes of potential since acquiring CJ McCollum at the trade deadline.</p>
<p>And while the point of getting McCollum was to build around Williamson, what if New Orleans is tired of dealing with the question marks surrounding him? Or alternatively, what if Williamson <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/03/23/trae-young-atlanta-hawks/"https://www.si.com/nba/2022/02/20/nba-superstar-empowerment-disruption-trades" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requests a trade</a>?</p>
<p>If either of those ends up happening, the Hawks would be the perfect place for Williamson to land. His dominance in the paint and ability to catch lobs would be the perfect compliment to Trae Young’s skillset.</p>
<p>Again, let me reiterate, the chances Williamson changes teams this offseason are extremely low. But in terms of potential co-stars for Young, there may not be a better option, despite the risks that come with his injury history.</p>
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