Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks star guard Dejounte Murray is potentially facing two weeks on the sidelines because of a left ankle sprain, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

That will leave the Hawks further short-handed, with John Collins (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (hip) also dealing with injuries.

Murray, 26, went to Atlanta last offseason in a trade that sent Danilo Gallinari, the Hawks' first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, the Charlotte Hornets' 2023 protected first-rounder and pick-swap rights in 2026 to the San Antonio Spurs.

The returns have been positive for Atlanta. Murray is averaging 20.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three.

Only Trae Young is averaging more points (27.2) and assists (9.5) per game on the team, giving the Hawks a complementary backcourt as Murray takes some of the playmaking and defensive pressure off Young.

The Hawks have had an adjustment period nonetheless, going just 13-12, good for fifth in the deep Eastern Conference.

Bogdan Bogdanović's season debut last week should provide a boost, however, especially given the team's injury status.

But even while other drama persists in Atlanta—from the potential for a fallout between Young and head coach Nate McMillan after last week's conflict, to the latest round of rumors that Collins may be on the trade block, yet again—Murray and Young have settled in well next to each other.

That's important for the team's long-term success, though Murray's absence will make the next two weeks an uphill climb for these Hawks. Bogdanović likely will return to the starting lineup, while both Justin and Aaron Holiday should see a bump in minutes.

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.

What happened to @TheTraeYoung?When he doesnt have the ball all he ever does is stand by half court. How does that help your team when you dont even shoot 30% from 3 😂😂

— Card Chase-opoly on FB (@BrooklynCappers) December 8, 2022

Can't wait for the next wave of Trae Young apologists.

Have at it folks.

— jay greeson (@jgreesontfp) December 8, 2022

Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic are 0-14 from 3 😬

Is that bad?

— Brett Hanfling (@Brett_Hanfling) December 8, 2022

Trae Young’s shoes say “King of Broadway”

The Hawks currently trail by 25. pic.twitter.com/3EdmSFxVNz

— BetOnline (@BetOnline_ag) December 8, 2022

There’s this dislike on Trae Young, there’s confidence and there’s cocky. Trae is cocky and he’s wearing shoes stating ‘King of Broadway’ your team’s down 23 to the Knicks. You’re not that guy….

— James Nasrulhaq Bond (@nasruLs) December 8, 2022

https://twitter.com/nikeshoesbots/status/1600680715880128512

it’s crazy how bad trae young has regressed this year

— Julian Garcia (@terpsu) December 8, 2022

Trae Young is a ball hog and a cry baby. He doesn't play any defense and is a selfish player. He really thinks he can beat a team by himself. The Hawks will not go far with his play as of lately.

— Xavier Moreland (@XavierMoreland2) December 8, 2022

https://twitter.com/SleepyHeadBrown/status/1600677912952606720

Trae Young’s defense is what Dads think of nba defense. Dude actually puts in zero effort for like straight possessions at a time

— Henry Ettinger (@hedging_henry) December 8, 2022

Trae Young is shooting his highest volume ever in his career (21.6 FGA) and lowest FG% (40.8%). Pretty inexcusable after the Hawks made the move to add Dejounte

— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) December 8, 2022

Trae Young is broken. I see this #hawks team slipping into a deep slump without Dejounte.

— HBTFD (@ItsNotFirenze) December 8, 2022

Quentin Grimes is a better shooter than Trae Young pic.twitter.com/QyUiwbH0CH

— Knicks Memes (@KnicksMemes) December 8, 2022

kings dont lose games and shoot 9/20 @TheTraeYoung

— grooby (@groobyfella) December 8, 2022

Trae Young was warming up in Knicks-colored sneakers with “King of Broadway” written on them.

After tonight, he’s is now 8-12 vs the Knicks in his career (including playoffs) pic.twitter.com/T3QcEmi7DJ

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 8, 2022

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.

The Atlanta Hawks announced they will be without Dejounte Murray for the rest of Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks because of the left ankle sprain he suffered in the first half.

Murray scored two points on the free-throw line and did not attempt a field goal in the four minutes he played prior to exiting.

Atlanta acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs via trade this past offseason, and he has played well in his first campaign in the Eastern Conference. Entering Wednesday's contest, he was averaging 21.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from deep.

The 2021-22 All-Star is the type of high-ceiling backcourt running mate the Hawks have been looking to pair Trae Young with, and the result has been a solid start to the season.

They are 13-11, which is good enough for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. While they may not have the depth of high-end talent to challenge the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks, the Hawks look like a team that could make a relatively deep run in the postseason with Young and Murray leading the way.

It's not the best timing for a setback for the latter, though, as Wednesday kicked off a run of 10 matchups in 11 games against Eastern Conference foes for Atlanta.

This is an opportunity to solidify itself as a true playoff contender, but it may be short-handed for some of that stretch if Murray cannot return in the immediate future.

Look for Young to shoulder even more of the offensive responsibility while he is sidelined, while Jarrett Culver and Aaron Holiday will likely see more playing time as well.

Having lost six of their last seven games and fallen to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards could have some big decisions to make looking ahead to the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Kyle Kuzma has caught the attention of several teams, including the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, if Washington decides to move on from the 27-year-old forward.

There have been rumblings about widespread interest in Kuzma for some time. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his podcast last week (starts at 47:40 mark) that executives on opposing teams have heard "they're trying to get Kuzma out of Washington."

Charania reported last month the Suns have expressed interest in multiple forwards, including Kuzma, Harrison Barnes and KJ Martin.

Phoenix continues to be in the market for another shooter as it explores trades involving Jae Crowder.

The Hawks have a potential trade chip to dangle in front of Washington if they want to go after Kuzma. John Collins has seemingly been on the block for years, but he remains in Atlanta for the time being.

According to Charania, the Wizards "have shown interest" in Collins and they "seriously discussed a potential deal" for the 25-year-old last offseason.

Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard told Charania that Kuzma "has so much more room to grow" as a player and "we’re really excited for his future growth here."

Kuzma's contract pays him $13 million this season and includes a $13 million player option for 2023-24. He is averaging career highs in scoring average (20.6 points per game), rebounds (7.7) and assists (3.6) in 23 starts.

This marks the second consecutive season the Wizards have fallen off after a hot start. They were 10-3 through 13 games in 2021-22 but finished 25-44 over their final 69 games to miss the playoffs.

Washington was 10-7 after a 106-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 20. The team is now 11-13 overall in the midst of its recent rough stretch.

The Wizards haven't made the playoffs in three of the previous four seasons. They haven't won a postseason series since the 2016-17 season.

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."

"You don't know the full story. ...A private matter needs to stay private"

Trae Young got into it with this reporter 😳

(via @ZachkleinWSB)pic.twitter.com/jVA6jlhjPd

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2022

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.

The Brooklyn Nets' early-season struggles appear to be mostly behind them. They've won three straight games and six of their past eight, and they sit at 12-11 after their win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, marking the first time they've been above .500 this season.

With the amount of talent on the Nets' roster, this is the type of success that is expected. And the team could be getting even better soon.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, Brooklyn has "touched base" with the Atlanta Hawks regarding John Collins, who has been featured in trade rumors throughout the 2022-23 season.

"I think the Nets are in search of some help along the front line. Collins can certainly help them," Begley told The Putback podcast. "I'm not sure how far along those talks went. But they've certainly engaged recently, so something to keep an eye on there."

Collins has been a solid player throughout his six-year NBA career, all of which has been spent in Atlanta. This season, the power forward is averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22 games.

Although the 25-year-old's shooting percentages are down (48.4 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from 3-point range), there's plenty of time for those to get back closer to his career averages. And with his track record, it seems likely he'll heat up later in the season.

The Hawks may be a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference, but they've been open to dealing Collins. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last month that the team had "opened up preliminary trade discussions."

The Nets would be wise to capitalize, as the 6'9" Collins would give them a much-needed boost in the post. Brooklyn hasn't been able to rely consistently on Ben Simmons, who is often injured and is now dealing with a calf strain that has sidelined him.

When the Nets fired head coach Steve Nash and replaced him on an interim basis with Jacque Vaughn, it didn't seem like they'd be a playoff contender this season. But they've been performing better, and they're now in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

By adding a player like the Wake Forest product to its core, Brooklyn will be in an even better position to compete and capitalize on the prime years of stars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Plus, Collins is under contract through the end of the 2024-25 season (with a player option for the 2025-26 campaign), so it's a solid long-term investment for the Nets.

Will it be a move that pushes Brooklyn into championship contention? Maybe, but the Nets' title hopes are likely to rely more on Durant, Irving and possibly the health of Simmons.

Still, Collins is a strong interior player who fills a primary need for Brooklyn. And as long as the cost isn't too high, the Nets should swing a deal to acquire him from the Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks reportedly approached the Utah Jazz hoping to trade John Collins for Lauri Markkanen.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that the Jazz rejected the offer, which "did not generate any traction."

It's not hard to see why the Jazz would reject such an offer. Markkanen has been one of the breakout players of the NBA's first month, averaging 22.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game to help spur the Jazz's surprising 12-7 start.

"I think it's been the overall game coming together,” Markkanen told Tony Jones of The Athletic. "Working on my overall game, working on where my spots are on the floor. I've just been trying to bring everything together and just keep working on the overall package. I think the important thing is not being satisfied. I have to know that there are a lot of things that I can keep improving. It's a process."

Collins, meanwhile, is in the midst of arguably his worst NBA season. His points per game have dropped for the third straight campaign, down from 21.6 in 2019-20 to 12.6 this season. He also has not developed into an elite rim protector the way the Hawks hoped and is shooting a career-low 26.9 percent from behind the arc.

The Hawks have made Collins a regular fixture on the trade market for years and haven't been able to find a taker to meet their asking price. Shopping him around now at the nadir of his value isn't going to lead to many fruitful conversations—especially if Atlanta management is seeking a player like Markkanen.

Collins is in just the second season of a five-year, $125 million deal. While he has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign, it's highly unlikely he'll turn down $26.6 million given the trajectory of his career.

If the Hawks want to trade Collins and recoup any value that will help them on the floor, they're going to have to wait and see if he turns his season around.

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 defeated the Orlando Magic 108-98 on Friday night to improve to 2-0, and Dejounte Murray was one of the best players on the floor in just his second game with the franchise.

Murray, who was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in June, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals, making 8-of-16 shots from the floor and 2-of-5 shots from deep in the win.

It was the second straight game Murray notched 20 points, having done so in the season opener on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, and he's drawing rave reviews on social media for his latest performance:

FROM ELIAS: Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are the first duo in NBA history to each average 20 points and 10 assists through the first 2 games of a season. https://t.co/MnloyEvfRp

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 22, 2022

I dunno how many more times I’m gonna say this. Dejounte Murray was everything this Hawks team needed and more.

20/9/9

Just missed a triple double pic.twitter.com/oJE0xa86Y9

— jxke. 🧸 (@cantguardjake) October 22, 2022

The dog has remained in the interior of Dejounte Murray.

— Peachtree Hoops (@peachtreehoops) October 22, 2022

https://twitter.com/KPelchat92/status/1583640634455298048

Looks like I was wrong about Dejounte Murray in Atlanta. Can't really declare wrong or right on anyone yet, but he's killing it

— Josh Lloyd (@redrock_bball) October 22, 2022

Dejounte Murray is so good at basketball

— cam (@DirtyBirds97) October 22, 2022

Murray wasn't the only one that was praised, though.

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero had a solid performance despite an off night shooting. He finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks, making 6-of-18 shots from the floor and 1-of-6 shots from deep.

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick was praised for his performance despite Orlando's loss:

Paolo Banchero had an off shooting night (6-18 FG).

He still put up 20/12/2/1/3.

Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/fYmWwHwxeV

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 22, 2022

Paolo is a mixture of Melo/PG. Orlando didn’t miss with their pick.

— Alex Bazzell (@alexbazzell) October 22, 2022

I know it’s a small sample size of just 2 games but I was very wrong on Paolo Banchero draft night. Kid is a stud. Does everything well(except shoot 3’s right now). #Magic are very fortunate to have him as a cornerstone. His defense and rebounding was very overstated as weakness

— Brett Adams (@badamsufl) October 22, 2022

PAOLO BANCHERO 🔥

— 5 ✰ B*TCH (@realkenmarie) October 22, 2022

Paolo Banchero is locked in for ROTY.

— 〽️ (@13ossman5) October 22, 2022

Paolo Banchero is SPECIAL

— t.O. (@ThereGoesTO) October 22, 2022

Banchero is absolutely unreal

— Mitch ⚡️ (@TxM1tch) October 22, 2022

Both of these players have bright futures ahead. However, the Hawks are currently a much more complete team, and it's going to take the Magic some time to get there, especially with such a young roster.

The Hawks will host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, while the Magic will host the Boston Celtics on Saturday aiming for their first win of the season.