Atlanta Hawks make important Trae Young call amid rumor-filled week

Trae Young will not play for the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

As the Hawks are paying a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are on night two of a back-to-back set, Atlanta ruled out the star guard due to a quad issue. 

The timing of Young’s absence will certainly cause a stir. Over the weekend, Young’s name has been more relevant than ever in the NBA trade market rumor mill.

With the Hawks struggling since Young’s return to action, there is a growing belief around the league that the star guard could find himself changing teams before the February deadline kicks in.

The Latest on Trae Young Trade Rumors

According to ESPN’s Tim McMahon, the Hawks are “indicating that they’re looking for the exit ramp” with the Young era.

All signs point to Atlanta moving on from Trae Young ahead of the Feb 5th trade deadline, with the team “indicating that they're looking for the exit ramp” for the Hawks point guard, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. pic.twitter.com/Smo44lI7dV

This season, the Hawks had an opportunity to play 23 games without the All-Star. In that time, they’ve won 56 percent of their games (13-10). With Young on the floor, the Hawks have won just 20 percent of their games. Two wins and eight losses. Chemistry takes time, but the Hawks are seemingly growing impatient. 

Heading into Monday’s action, the Hawks have a 15-18 record. They are 10th in the Eastern Conference, on a six-game skid. Facing the dominant OKC Thunder, Atlanta certainly isn’t in a favorable spot to break the streak. However, a Young-less victory will only add to the noise.

In 10 games this season, Young is averaging fewer than 20 points for the first time since his rookie season. He’s shooting 41 percent from the field and knocking down 30 percent of his threes. After leading the league in assists per game last year (11.6 APG), Young is dishing out 8.9 assists per game this year.

Offensively, Young is still valuable, scoring 19.3 points per game, but his defensive struggles cause the Hawks to take a notable hit. They haven’t found a way to make it work out just yet.

Monday won’t be another chance to work on improving, as Young will be off the floor. After the Hawks face the defending champions on Monday, they’ll look ahead to New Year’s Eve, when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Young’s status for that game is unclear.