Hawks’ reported GM target could spell the end of Trae Young’s tenure

It was a brutal end to the season for the Atlanta Hawks. After scrapping their way to eighth place in the East, Atlanta lost back-to-back Play-In games to miss the postseason entirely. Their first-round pick, 14th overall, is now on its way to San Antonio due to the Dejounte Murray trade. Dejounte Murray plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Not much has gone right since Atlanta's fluke conference finals run in 2021. Now their attention turns to hiring a new GM to replace Landry Fields. Whomever gets the job will need to take a long, hard look at the roster and make some tough decisions, starting with the future of Trae Young.

The latest name tied to the Hawks' lead front office job raises significant questions about Young's future with the team. Atlanta is interested in Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, per Marc Stein.

"It was not immediately clear, league sources say, what sort of shot Atlanta has at prizing Ujiri away from the league's lone Canadian franchise, which won the only championship in franchise history in 2018-19 after Ujiri boldly traded for Kawhi Leonard when the former San Antonio Spur had only one year left on his contract," he writes.

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Hawks take interest in Masai Ujiri for GM job, which is bad news for Trae Young

This could end up being a total pipe dream. Ujiri is beloved in Toronto, where he earned a lot of goodwill from that 2019 championship run. It has been a dark couple of years in Toronto, but Ujiri is an established voice with a clear vision and way of doing things. There has been no indication that Toronto is ready to move on, nor that he wants to leave. So, take this report with a grain of salt.

If the Hawks are bold enough to lure Ujiri to the southeast, however, it does not bode well for Young's future with the franchise. Atlanta is in a tricky spot without control of its next few first-round picks, but at a certain point, something has to change on a fundamental level. It's unclear if Young, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher is a good enough core to move the needle and put Atlanta back in the contenders circle. In fact, the smart bet is against that happening.

Ujiri would bring a very particular ideology to the Hawks front office. He loves length and versatility. Toronto's whole deal, even dating back to the Kawhi Leonard trade, has been stockpiling size and overwhelming teams with athleticism.

A brief glance through Ujiri's most recent draft picks (Ja'Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, Christian Koloko, Scottie Barnes) and trade acquisitions (Brandon Ingram, R.J. Barrett) shows that he has a definite type. Defense is a top priority. As is positional flexibility. Even Ujiri's small point guards, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet, were outliers on defense with uncommon strength.

There has never been a player like Trae Young on Ujiri's teams in Toronto. That does not mean Young cannot break the mold, but he's already skating on thin ace as Atlanta's franchise pillar. If Ujiri is brought in, he will assume significant power in the front office. There's no other way he leaves the Raptors. That means the Hawks would be built (or rebuilt) in his image. It's fair to wonder if that image includes Young.

Atlanta can still get solid value for Young on the trade front. He's a singular advantage creator and one of the best playmakers in recent NBA history. So, if the Hawks hire Ujiri to mold their future, expect Young's departure to follow not so long after.