Trae Young

The NBA fined Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young $25,000 for throwing the ball into the crowd at the conclusion of Sunday's 123-122 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls.

After AJ Griffin's buzzer-beater, Young celebrated by heaving the ball toward the fans at State Farm Arena.

Young reacted to the fine:

The result snapped a three-game losing skid for Atlanta and moved the team's record to 14-13.

Young struggled in the contest. He shot 5-of-18 from the field for 19 points, though he added 14 assists for his 13th double-double of the season.

Beyond being a pittance for a player earning $37.1 million this season, the fine is the least of the Hawks' problems at the moment.

The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported on Dec. 4 that Young and head coach Nate McMillan were experiencing some friction behind the scenes. The report added the Hawks "have held multiple team meetings early this season to resolve various conflicts."

That led to wider scrutiny of Young given his status as the franchise cornerstone.

Through all of the drama, Atlanta is still sixth in the Eastern Conference and only three games back of the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers. Perhaps an emotional victory like the one Sunday represented the team turning the corner.

Atlanta Hawks superstar guard Trae Young recently purchased a $20 million mansion in Calabasas, California, located in Los Angeles County.

Front Office Sports provided a breakdown of the home and its amenities, including the presence of several celebrity neighbors:

Young bought the home from former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews, who is a Northridge, California, native and attended USC before spending 11 seasons in the NFL from 2009 to 2019 with the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams.

The 24-year-old Young was born in Lubbock, Texas, and raised in Pampa, Texas. He later attended high school in Norman, Oklahoma, and played his college basketball at the University of Oklahoma.

Young was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and he has undoubtedly lived up to that status, earning two All-Star selections during his five-year career.

The guard owns career averages of 25.4 points and 9.1 assists per game, and in 23 games this season, he is averaging 27.2 points and 9.5 assists for the 13-12 Hawks.

After a strong start to his career, Young signed a hefty contract extension last year, inking a five-year, $215.16 million deal that will keep him under contract until 2027.

The Hawks added guard Dejounte Murray in an offseason trade with the San Antonio Spurs, giving them one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA and a chance to be major players in the Eastern Conference for years to come.

Wednesday evening couldn't have gone much worse for Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, who fell 113-89 to the host New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Dejounte Murray departed after four minutes with a left ankle sprain and did not return. Atlanta looked lost without him on both ends and notably made just 6-of-36 three-pointers,

Bogdan Bogdanovic missed all 10 of his attempts from beyond the arc. Young made 9-of-20 field goals but missed all four of his three-pointers. That marked the first time all season he did not hit at least one three-pointer in a game.

On a night where Young wore "King of Broadway" sneakers during pregame warmups, the Hawks star was anything but en route to a minus-26 performance. He sat the entire fourth quarter with the game well out of hand.

Meanwhile, the Knicks were led by Julius Randle and his 34 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. Quentin Grimes added 23 points, including 5-of-7 three-pointers.

This has not been a good year for Young, who is posting career-worst marks from the field and the three-point line. His three-point percentage has dipped below 30 percent.

The talented superstar has seen much better days, especially at the Garden, where he led the Hawks to a first-round playoff victory over New York in 2021 and simultaneously became one of the Knicks fanbase's most hated villains.

But the Knicks crushed the Hawks on this day, and Twitter criticized Young's performance.

Young and the 13-12 Hawks have now lost five of their last seven games. They'll stay in New York to take on the Brooklyn Nets Friday evening.

Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young raised eyebrows after his surprising absence from Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets, but he was in no mood to discuss the situation on Monday.

After Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that an exchange between Young and head coach Nate McMillan led to him being away from the team during a 117-109 victory, the two-time All-Star is not happy how that information got out. While speaking to reporters on Monday, he declined to explain his side of the story and instead lamented on his annoyance at the matter being made public.

"We're all grown men here, and sometimes we don't always agree," Young said. "It's unfortunate that private situations and private conversations get out to the public, but I guess that's the world we live in now. But I'm just focused on basketball and focused on helping my team win, and that's what I've got to get to refocusing on."

When questioned further about his absence from the game, Young sternly said, "A private matter needs to stay private."

Charania and Amick reported Sunday that McMillan presented Young with an ultimatum to either come off the bench or not show up to the arena at all after he wanted to miss the pregame shootaround to focus on treatment for his injured right shoulder.

Young, who was planning to make a decision later in the day after treatment, chose not to play and was listed as out with shoulder soreness.

The 24-year-old didn't face any disciplinary action from the team and returned to practice on Sunday. McMillan described the situation as "just a miscommunication." However, the report from Charania and Amick indicated a deeper issue within the franchise, stating there were "multiple team meetings early this season to resolve various conflicts."

Atlanta sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 13-10, but it has struggled to maintain consistency through the early part of the season.

With Young returning to the lineup on Monday, the Hawks will be going for their third straight win when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder (10-13).

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young missed Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets after an exchange with head coach Nate McMillan that led to an ultimatum, per Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

According to the report, Young wanted to focus on treatment on his injured right shoulder while missing the pregame shootaround, planning to decide later in the day if he would play. McMillan responded by offering him a choice to either come off the bench or do not show up to the arena.

Young chose not to play and was ruled out because of shoulder soreness in what became a 117-109 win.

"It was just a miscommunication in that situation with Trae," McMillan said Sunday, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

There was no disciplinary action against Young, and he returned to practice Sunday. He is expected to return to the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

According to The Athletic, it's part of a larger issue for the Hawks after "multiple team meetings early this season to resolve various conflicts."

The Hawks are 13-10 in McMillan's third year with the team, fourth in the Eastern Conference, though expectations are high after acquiring All-Star Dejounte Murray in the offseason to pair with Young in the backcourt.

Young remains the go-to option averaging 27.8 points and 9.6 assists per game, while Murray has impressed with 21.4 points and 6.7 assists per game. Depth has been a question mark, however, after trading away Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari. The return of Bogdan Bogdanović will help, but John Collins is now expected to miss at least two weeks with an ankle injury, per Charania.

Adding locker room issues could only exacerbate the Hawks' problems going forward and put McMillan under pressure to keep things on track.

Count Trae Young and Bradley Beal among the NBA superstars who will potentially make their Team USA debuts at the 2023 World Cup

“Yes, I’m definitely open to it,” Young told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I mean, even since I was in high school, it’s been my dream as a basketball player. I’ve tried out multiple times since I’ve been in high school. There’s been a couple of times when I could have been on that team, and it kind of hurt my heart.”

Young failed in two attempts to make the national team under the former regime of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and longtime managing director Jerry Colangelo. He was left off the 2019 World Cup team that was scrambling for help, and in 2021 when the Americans needed a replacement for the Olympics, the nod went to Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, with whom Popovich had familiarity.

Beal likely would have already made his debut on the international stage if it weren't for outside forces. The birth of his son led to him withdrawing from consideration in 2019, and Beal missed the 2020 Summer Games after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

“I definitely see myself playing for USA,” Beal told The Athletic. “That’s always been a goal of mine, obviously to play in the Olympics, but there’s a step to get there [the World Cup]. So if it’s available to me, for sure.”

New Team USA leadership will be a major boost to Young in particular. Grant Hill, a Hawks minority owner, took over for Colangelo as executive director and shares a friendly relationship with Young.

Team USA coach Steve Kerr also has plenty of experience coaching high-level guards who sometimes take jaw-dropping three-point attempts. Kerr will likely be a better fit for Young than the more structured Popovich.

Beal will almost certainly be selected for the World Cup team and 2024 Olympic squad provided he remains healthy. His game is a near-perfect fit for the international level, and he's the type of player who can mesh with nearly any supporting cast.

The Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young, Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey have all expressed interest in playing for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup next summer.

Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported Tuesday all three stars confirmed their desire to help the American squad bounce back from a disappointing seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup while also using the tournament to help bolster their chances of being chosen for the 2024 Summer Olympics roster.

"Yes, I'm definitely open to it," Young told Vardon. "I mean, even since I was in high school, it's been my dream as a basketball player. I've tried out multiple times since I've been in high school. There's been a couple of times when I could have been on that team, and it kind of hurt my heart."

Team USA manager director Grant Hill and head coach Steve Kerr have decided to abandon the program's previous desire to get NBA stars to make a commitment to play back-to-back summers, first for the World Cup and then the Olympics, per Vardon.

Instead, they'll take each tournament individually and build out the best possible roster from the players willing to make the offseason trip.

The 2023 World Cup is being split between Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, while the 2024 Olympics are taking place in Paris. The 2021 Olympics were in Tokyo.

Team USA management is cognizant of the travel demands of that many overseas trips following the long NBA seasons and understand players may not want to make a full-time annual summer commitment.

"I've never gotten the opportunity to do a World Cup," Beal told Vardon. "As long as I'm healthy, injury-free, and there's a place for me on the team, yeah, I'll probably be there in the Philippines."

Maxey added: "I would love to play for the country. That would be cool. It's always a blessing to represent your country, play with different guys, and go out there and compete."

It will likely create a situation in which the World Cup team is filled with players who may end up on the Olympic roster fringe, depending on whether LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the rest of the American superstars opt to play in Paris.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen told Vardon he's yet to hear from Team USA officials, but he'd also “take a lot of pride in representing us on a stage in front of the world.”

"I understand that there's not a lot of traditional bigs like that in America, like the back-down bigs," Allen said. "Even I'm not even really like that typical, I guess, European basketball big in terms of just banging down there. But I'm here to fill a role, whatever they need, and I feel like I can fit into any role."

Finding centers who can fit the more European play style often on display in major international tournaments has been an issue for the Americans in recent years, but Allen's defensive prowess could bring a lot of value.

A lot of factors will come into play when building the roster, including what teams make deep runs in the NBA playoffs and which players are dealing with nagging injuries they will want the summer to rest, but the early buy-in sounds promising for Team USA.

The 2023 World Cup is scheduled to tip off on Aug. 25.

The Atlanta Hawks are set to open their season against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Forward De'Andre Hunter should be in the lineup for that game and, presumably, for the foreseeable future.

The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter was set to be a restricted free agent next offseason. However, Atlanta beat the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Monday to sign the Virginia product to an extension.

Hunter will now stick around on a four-year, $96 million extension.

Locking up the 24-year-old is big for the Hawks. It eliminates any potential RFA drama next offseason and any sort of contract distractions Hunter might have this season, and it ensures that Atlanta has its core group for the foreseeable future.

The Hawks now have Hunter, Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela all signed for at least the next three seasons. Offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray signed on a two-year deal.

Extending Hunter should also put an end to the idea of trading for Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder.

Crowder requested a trade from Phoenix, and the Suns appear willing to cooperate. While they haven't found a trade partner just yet, they're not forcing Crowder to play, either. The 32-year-old was placed on the inactive list to start the regular season.

The Hawks are one of several teams that had been linked to Crowder in the waning days of the offseason. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Atlanta had "emerged as a suitor" for Crowder.

"The Hawks and Suns have had conversations in recent weeks and months, I'm told, as Atlanta has seen if there's a pathway to bring Crowder into a Big Three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and John Collins," Charania

What's interesting to note here is that Hunter wasn't included in Charania's "Big Three" comment—and there might be a legitimate reason for that. At the time of the report, Hunter wasn't under contract long-term and might have been considered a trade chip.

Trading a young quality defender for an aging Crowder wouldn't make much sense in a vacuum. However, it's an option Atlanta might have explored if it felt that Hunter was destined to depart next offseason.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Suns want a player who can contribute now, not future draft capital for Crowder. If Atlanta's Big Three of Young, Murray and Collins are off-limits, that leaves Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic as the biggest trade candidates.

Flipping Bogdanovic, who has been ruled out for the opener, could still be an option, but Hunter was the player more likely to move the needle for Phoenix.

The other factor to consider here is that with its starting lineup signed for the next two seasons, Atlanta appears eager to build a long-term contender. Crowder, who is on an expiring contract, doesn't exactly fit that plan.

Bogdanovic is also signed through the 2023-24 season.

Trading for Crowder would make sense for Atlanta in one of two scenarios—if the Hawks believed it would net them a title run this season or if they were resigned to losing Hunter in 2023.

Adding Crowder wouldn't suddenly make a team that won 43 games last season elite. And since Hunter is going nowhere, there's no need to maximize the value of his departure in a trade.

Now, NBA roster movement can be unpredictable, and there's always a chance that Atlanta flips a couple of back-end players and/or a pick to land Crowder. There's also a chance that the Hawks pursue Crowder as a free agent if he's able to secure a buyout from Phoenix or another team.

According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Phoenix has some interest in dealing Crowder for Utah Jazz point guard Jordan Clarkson. That could result in Crowder becoming a free agent.

"That outcome would seem to result in Crowder securing a buyout from Utah, and then his pick of destination, albeit at an unknown salary," Fischer wrote.

However, Hunter's next contract means that, for now, we should probably pencil out the Hawks as potential suitors.