NBA insider explains why Trae Young hasn't been traded yet by the Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks shockingly didn't trade Trae Young this offseason and fans are wondering why considering the amount of buzz around a possible trade involving the high-volume scorer last season. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, appearing on The Hoop Collective, Trae Young would already be on a different time "if there was a real market" for him.

While Trae Young averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game on 43 percent shooting this season, the three-time All-Star has struggled to produce toward winning basketball since the team's Eastern Conference Finals run in 2020-21. Quite simply, the guard is too much of a liability at the defensive end.

Additionally, the pairing of him and Dejounte Murray had proven to be too much of an over-investment of the salary cap with the frontcourt veterans under contract depreciating in skill. With this in mind, Atlanta decided to trade Murray for Larry Nance Jr, Dyson Daniels, and a collection of first-round picks to retool their roster around Young and their first-overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

While the squad will probably keep Young to start the season, he may only stay with the Hawks until they can find someone willing to make a reasonable offer.

How long with Trae Young last with the Atlanta Hakws?

In addition to his defensive issues, Young, only has two more years left on his deal. This allows the guard to control the roster built around him and have a considerable say in the locker room. With bad teammate noise surrounding Young, it's probably best for him to have zero leverage on any squad he goes to and him having complete control over the locker room would likely not be good for any squad's title chances.

Considering the trade haul a team would likely need for the Hawks to give up the guard, it makes sense that the market is so quiet. Big numbers but not a lot of team success, a big contract and rumors of bad chemistry. If something doesn't change, the Hawks may just be stuck with him.