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Trae Young Issues a Stern 5 Word Warning to the League as NBA All Star Joins Hawks in a Massive Trade on Day 1 of Free Agency

Published 06/30/2022, 12:00 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The NBA off-season has only just begun. However, the player market is running wild already. And the Atlanta Hawks have made their breakthrough. In a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, the Hawks signed All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. With this great addition, Trae Young sent a chilling warning to the entire league.

The Hawks made a huge leap in 2021, reaching the conference finals. Led by Young, the All-Star was at his best during that season. However, this season, Atlanta was exposed. They ranked 26th in defensive efficiency, and that hit them hard.

Going up against a tough Miami Heat, they had no answer. And Young couldn’t deal with the Heat defense. In addition, the Hawks’ defense was overwhelmed by Miami’s all-around offense.

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Hence, not only did Atlanta solve their defense problems, they didn’t even disturb their core.

Trae Young and Hawks for the chip?

After a disappointing return to the playoffs, Atlanta wants to make the most of their All-Star, Trae Young. So, they have paired him with a first-time All-Star, Murray from the Spurs. They had to let go of Gallinari and a few picks to make it happen. San Antonio had a busy day in the recent draft, and their motive looks to be rebuilding. As for the Hawks, it is the Young-Murray duo that could crack the code.

Murray made his first All-Star appearance this season with a career season for San Antonio. The defensive maestro averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. He has emerged as a two-way threat who can score on all levels. However, his defense will be the main impact for the Hawks. Only five years in the league, Murray takes on the toughest assignments. His All defensive second team in his second year made him the youngest ever player in that category. Despite a solid case this season, Murray didn’t make any All-Defense team. So, Trae took to Twitter and gave a shout out to the new arrival.

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While arguments can be made about his snub, this new partnership could be lethal. Both Young and Murray can facilitate an offense with ease. Ice Trae has the range and is a crafty scorer. On the other hand, Dejounte Murray is one of the best two-way players in the league. With other pieces, such as Capela and John Collins, the Hawks surely won this trade.

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A new partnership is set to brew up, but how will they do? Only time will tell.

Do you think the Hawks made the right move? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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Edited by:

Bagavathi Eswaran