Things are on the up and not-so-up in Atlanta.
The Hawks are 15-18 as of Dec. 29, and are losers of six in a row.
What do those six straight losses have in common? Well, five of them came just after Trae Young returned from injury.
The presence of Young — long thought to be the Hawks’ franchise cornerstone — has not equaled wins for Atlanta this season. In fact, the Hawks are 2-8 with Young and 13-10 without him.
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Now, it’s not as if Atlanta is great with or without the four-time All-Star point guard, who led the league in assists just last season. However, this year, Young has battled an MCL injury, in addition to shooting 41.5% from the field, 30.5% from 3 and averaging just 19.3 points, the lowest total of his career since he averaged 19.1 as a rookie.
Now, reports are beginning to surface that the Hawks are looking to move off of Young ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
So, where might Young land next? Let’s check out the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Dec. 29.
Trae Young — Next regular-season minute played after trade deadline to be for which NBA team?
Hawks: -135 (bet $10 to win $17.41 total)
Mavericks: +170 (bet $10 to win $27 total)
Timberwolves: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Cavaliers: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Bucks: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Magic: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Kings: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Pelicans: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
While the Hawks are still favored to retain Young after the deadline, the Mavs are the closest contender for the point guard’s services.
Dallas is having a disappointing season so far, sitting at 12-21, despite having both Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg in the lineup. Much of its struggles presumably has to do with the absence of its star PG Kyrie Irving, who is recovering from an ACL tear.
Third on the board are the Wolves, whose point guard depth consists of 38-year-old Mike Conley, Bones Hyland and second-year PG Rob Dillingham.
The Hawks will take on the Thunder in OKC on Monday night without Young, who is sidelined with a quad contusion.
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