<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-nearing-return-practice-injury-recovery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks PG Trae Young nearing return to practice amid injury recovery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Trae-Young-of-the-Atlanta-Hawks-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks PG Trae Young nearing return to practice amid injury recovery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-13T12:04:56-08:00">December 13th, 12:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-13T12:18:28-08:00">December 13th, 12:18pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-trae-young-gets-updated-injury-timeline">been without Trae Young</a> since the 117-112 October 29 win over the Brooklyn Nets, as he’s been dealing with a knee injury. It sounds like he could finally return soon, as it appears he will be participating in practice.</p><p>Young, who is 27 years old, is <a href="https://x.com/ATLHawks/status/1999924935289119144" rel="noopener">set to return to practice</a> in the week leading up to the December 18 matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. He is not cleared to play in that game, but the Hawks are going to evaluate the star point guard before making a final decision on his status.</p><p>“An Emory Healthcare update: Trae Young sustained a right knee MCL sprain on Oct. 29 at Brooklyn. He continues to increase his reconditioning activities and is expected to return to practice next week. His status will be updated as appropriate.”</p><p>Young has only played in five games so far this season. In those contests, he’s averaging 17.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 37.1% from the field and 19.2% from beyond the three-point line. With the Hawks owning a 14-12 record and firmly in the mix in the Eastern Conference, getting the four-time All-Star back in the starting lineup would be a huge boost for Atlanta.</p><p>The Hawks are scheduled to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Young will not participate in that matchup. Atlanta will have to rely on Dyson Daniels at the point guard position once again.</p><p>Getting their star point guard back will be great for the Hawks. However, while he’s been out, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-trae-young-ja-morant-lamelo-ball-absolutely-destroyed-insiders-amid-trade-buzz">Trae Young has been involved</a> in all kinds of trade rumors. Perhaps those rumors are true, but for now, the team is just looking forward to having him back on the court.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks PG Trae Young nearing return to practice amid injury recovery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/nba-rumors-espn-proposes-5-team-trade-anthony-davis-hawks-trae-young-kings-zach-lavine-to-mavericks-kristaps-porzingis-to-warriors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: ESPN proposes 5-team trade that sends Anthony Davis to Hawks, Trae Young to Kings, Zach LaVine to Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis to Warriors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Davis-guards-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: ESPN proposes 5-team trade that sends Anthony Davis to Hawks, Trae Young to Kings, Zach LaVine to Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis to Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T08:57:23-08:00">December 11th, 8:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T08:57:23-08:00">December 11th, 8:57am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trade rumors have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/nba-rumors-pacers-linked-to-mavericks-trade-but-not-anthony-davis">swirling around the Dallas Mavericks</a> ever since Nico Harrison got fired last month, with many fans wondering if the team may opt to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-pistons-hawks-raptors-expected-anthony-davis-trade-suitors">trade big man Anthony Davis</a>, who has been in and out of the lineup due to injury. Recently, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that multiple Eastern Conference teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, might have interest in Davis’ services.</p><p>On  Thursday, ESPN proposed <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47262180/anthony-davis-trade-guide-five-deals-mavericks-warriors-spurs-pistons-hawks-raptors" rel="noopener">a blockbuster five-team trade</a> that would shake up the NBA world. In the deal, the Hawks would receive Anthony Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and Devin Carter. The Mavericks would get back Zach LaVine and multiple first round picks. The Sacramento Kings would net Trae Young and Luke Kennard. The Golden State Warriors would get Kristaps Porzingis. The Detroit Pistons would get Doug McDermott and cash considerations.</p><p>“The challenge of the Hawks trading for Davis is that Young almost needs to be included in order for Atlanta’s payroll to avoid skyrocketing in 2026-27. But bringing Young to Dallas doesn’t make much sense unless Kyrie Irving is in the trade, too. To get around that, this trade involves five teams and nine players,” wrote the publication.</p><p>At this point, it would seem to be highly unlikely that such a gigantic trade would go down, but as the NBA (and specifically the Mavericks) taught us last year, anything is possible.</p><p>From the Mavericks’ perspective, this deal would allow them to finally start accumulating some future assets to pair with Cooper Flagg, while also getting him a nice point guard to play alongside in Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, Atlanta would get a dominant (when healthy) big man to add to their burgeoning young core of players, as well as some intriguing wing players in Kuminga and Hield.</p><p>Still, fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath on this one.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: ESPN proposes 5-team trade that sends Anthony Davis to Hawks, Trae Young to Kings, Zach LaVine to Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis to Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-trae-youngs-optimism-surrounding-injury-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Trae Young’s ‘optimism’ surrounding injury return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Hawks-star-Trae-Young-vs-Bulls.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Trae Young’s ‘optimism’ surrounding injury return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T08:39:42-08:00">December 9th, 8:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T08:39:42-08:00">December 9th, 8:39am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks finally have a bright turn in their season, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-trae-young-gets-updated-injury-timeline">much of it centers on Trae Young’s return from injury</a>. His <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/trae-young-to-be-re-evaluated-in-4-weeks-with-mcl-injury">sprained MCL on Oct. 29 created a long stretch of uncertainty</a>, and the injury return timeline has grown into one of the league’s most-watched stories. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-predicts-atlanta-survive-without-trae-young">Young’s injury pushed the Hawks to adapt on the fly</a>, but the team’s response only strengthened belief in what comes next. As confidence builds around the Hawks comeback arc with Young, optimism grows that he <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47245704/shams-pass-nba-trade-deadline-notes-news-buzz-anthony-davis-giannis-antetokounmpo-teams" rel="noopener">could play again</a> this month.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-fascinating-trae-young-situation-nba-insiders-trade">Hawks weathered the challenge</a>. They went 12–8 without their star, leaning on ball movement, tougher defense, and stretches of surprising composure. The team missed Young’s range, his pace control, and his ability to twist a possession into something explosive. Even in limited action this season, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 assists, shaping possessions with rhythm and urgency. His return represents more than a medical checkpoint. It signals a shift in everything the Hawks can be.</p><h2>A rising Hawks core waits for its catalyst</h2><p>The Hawks also sees a deeper opportunity. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-makes-atlanta-history-1st-half-triple-double-nuggets">Jalen Johnson has bloomed into a steady force</a>. Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker stabilize the perimeter. Zaccharie Risacher’s two-way flashes hint at real upside. Onyeka Okongwu remains a reliable interior anchor. Together, they set a foundation that feels sturdier than any of Young’s previous supporting casts.</p><p>That is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-these-eye-opening-trae-young-stats-will-have-fans-thinking-trade">why his comeback matters on multiple levels</a>. It gives the Hawks its engine again. It gives this emerging group the chance to test its ceiling with a star in full command. And it gives the franchise a moment to reset the narrative after months of trade speculation swirling around its future.</p><p>If Trae Young steps back onto the court this month after return from injury, how high can this Hawks team climb with its leader back in the fight?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Trae Young’s ‘optimism’ surrounding injury return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-ja-morant-fires-back-espn-report-dissing-himself-trae-young-lamelo-ball');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Morant-and-Ball.jpg"><figcaption> Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T15:36:33-08:00">December 3rd, 3:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T12:41:52-08:00">December 4th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Memphis Grizzlies</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, a report was published by ESPN detailing the opinions of several scouts and executives around the league, who predictably chose to remain unnamed, around All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-rumors-rival-exec-believes-no-choice-trade-ja-morant">point guards Ja Morant</a>, Trae Young, and LaMelo Ball. The opinions and analyses were overwhelmingly negative and painted the three potential trade candidates in an unflattering light as their respective teams continue their 2025-26 seasons.</p><p>Now, Morant has gone on the offensive, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/exclusive-grizzlies-news-jaren-jackson-jr-downplaying-imaginative-ja-morant-drama">with the Grizzlies star</a> firing back at the ESPN article with a post on his Instagram story.</p><p>“Strange times out here. Stay woke. Love to da guyz,” he wrote, alongside a blue heart emoji, <a href="https://x.com/HawkMuse/status/1996304288264454226" rel="noopener">via HawksMuse on X</a>, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Morant has never been shy about keeping his opinions to himself, and his Instagram story comes at what has been a turbulent time for the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis currently sits several games below .500 and Morant has been in and out of the lineup due to both injury and a suspension that he served for publicly calling out the coaching staff.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been performing well without Trae Young in the lineup due to a sprained MCL, igniting trade chatter on that front, and LaMelo Ball recently shot down a report that he was discontent with the Charlotte Hornets amid a rough start to their season.</p><p>Overall, Morant, Young, and Ball were once thought to be the next class of superstar point guards in the league, and they still very well could be, considering that they’re all still entering or in their primes, and still possess elite talent. However, to say that things haven’t gone according to plan for the trio over the last few years would be an understatement.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether the Grizzlies, Hawks, or Hornets would ever actually entertain trading their star point guard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fires back at ESPN report dissing himself, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/nba-rumors-how-pelicans-could-help-hawks-make-trae-young-trade-easier-to-swallow');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Pelicans could help Hawks make a Trae Young trade easier to swallow');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Young-drives.jpg"><figcaption>Mike Watters-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Pelicans could help Hawks make a Trae Young trade easier to swallow</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T09:11:57-08:00">December 3rd, 9:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T09:11:57-08:00">December 3rd, 9:11am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have had a relatively strong start to the 2025-26 NBA season, currently sitting at 13-9 despite the prolonged injury <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-trae-young-gets-updated-injury-timeline">absence of star point guard Trae Young.</a> Despite Young being out of the lineup since late October, Atlanta has held strong in the standings, thanks in large part to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-sends-tip-iceberg-jalen-johnson-warning-to-nba">emergence of Jalen Johnson</a> as a bona fide star player.</p><p>With this being the case, some have speculated that Atlanta could look to move on from Young in an attempt to build a team that truly has no weak links on defense.</p><p>Recently, Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47179857/ja-morant-lamelo-ball-trae-young-three-all-star-guards-limbo" rel="noopener">pointed out how</a> a draft night trade from earlier this year could make that decision easier for general manager Onsi Saleh and company.</p><p>“Multiple rival executives speculated that the Hawks would have to acquire another primary ball handler to replace Young, whether that’s in a trade for him or otherwise. That solution could come at the top of what is considered a loaded 2026 draft class,” they reported, referencing a trade that Atlanta made with New Orleans on draft night.</p><p>That move, which was widely panned from the Pelicans’ point of view, featured the Hawks sending their number 13 overall pick to New Orleans in exchange for both the number 23 pick and an unprotected pick swap in 2026, meaning Atlanta will have the better of the Pelicans’ and Milwaukee Bucks’ picks next year in what is expected to be a loaded draft class.</p><p>Currently, the Pelicans are in last place in the Western Conference, and the Bucks are freefalling in the East standings, meaning that pick could be very valuable, and potentially afford the Hawks the opportunity to draft an elite guard at that spot, which in this scenario would be Young’s replacement.</p><p>However, the Hawks will certainly want to get a good look at what the team is once Young returns before they make any such decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Pelicans could help Hawks make a Trae Young trade easier to swallow

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/milwaukee-bucks/nba-rumors-giannis-antetokounmpo-traded-hawks-trae-young-bill-simmons-latest-proposal');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo traded to Hawks for Trae Young in Bill Simmons’ latest proposal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Antetokounmpo-and-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo traded to Hawks for Trae Young in Bill Simmons’ latest proposal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T09:10:24-08:00">December 3rd, 9:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T13:06:41-08:00">December 3rd, 1:06pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The rumor mill has been<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/bucks-news-debunking-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-rumors"> swirling around Milwaukee Bucks star</a> Giannis Antetokounmpo so far this season, especially considering the team’s putrid start to the campaign. Milwaukee currently sits at 9-13 ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpos-social-media-cleanse-fans-crashing-out">Antetokounmpo recently scrubbed</a> much of the contest from his social media presence, further sounding the alarm within the fanbase.</p><p>Recently, sports media personality Bill Simmons of The Ringer took to his podcast to float a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2398&amp;v=ZfZ0tk4WDho&amp;feature=youtu.be" rel="noopener">potential trade idea</a> that would send Antetokounmpo to the Atlanta Hawks, a team that reportedly had interest in drafting him in 2013 before the Bucks swooped in.</p><p>“It would be Trae Young, Porzingis, who is an expiring. He makes $30 (million) so that’s perfect for the trade. They have that Bucks pick, they 2027, the worst of Bucks or New Orleans first. They have all their own firsts. So they can put together four firsts, Trae Young, the Porzingis expiring, we’ll take Kuzma back. Kuzma will be the tax in the Giannis trade,” said Simmons.</p><p>“For the Bucks it’s like, Hey, Trae Young, a fun guy to have on your team. He’s got two years left on his deal,” he added.</p><p>The Hawks have been playing well so far this year despite not having Young in the lineup, which has caused some to wonder if they may look to trade him.</p><p>It would certainly be a tough pill to swallow for the Hawks to give up their Bucks-Pelicans pick swap rights in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft, but such may be the price of acquiring Antetokounmpo. The Porzingis trade thus far hasn’t had great returns, and the emergence of Onyeka Okongwu may help that parting of ways go down a little easier.</p><p>The fit between Antetokounmpo and rising star Jalen Johnson would be interesting, to say the least, but in a talent-based league, the Hawks would have to at least consider the proposal floated by Simmons if the Bucks were to offer it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo traded to Hawks for Trae Young in Bill Simmons’ latest proposal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-trae-young-ja-morant-lamelo-ball-absolutely-destroyed-insiders-amid-trade-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Young-and-Morant.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T08:40:49-08:00">December 3rd, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T08:56:03-08:00">December 3rd, 8:56am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the emerging storylines around the NBA so far this year is the trade rumors surrounding several key players in the league, including Memphis Grizzlies<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/nba-rumors-ja-morant-trade-speculation-ropes-trae-young-zach-lavine"> star point guard Ja Morant</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-blasts-false-amid-info-swirling-trade-rumor">Charlotte Hornets guard</a> LaMelo Ball. Ball recently shot down a report of his own desire to be traded, while Morant has already been suspended for a game this year due to his calling out the coaching staff after a loss.</p><p>Recently, an article was published on ESPN.com detailing <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47179857/ja-morant-lamelo-ball-trae-young-three-all-star-guards-limbo#morant" rel="noopener">some league execs’ hesitancy</a> when it comes to these players.</p><p>“The combination of pain in the a**, injury prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one,” said one scout about Morant, per Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN.</p><p>“Ja has been going down, down, down,” said a Western Conference general manager who didn’t want to be named. “I don’t know how much of that is due to motivation. You’ve got to be able to look under the hood. I’m just not sure about his health.”</p><p>Meanwhile, league executives didn’t have glowing reviews of Ball, either.</p><p>“He takes the same shots now that he took in high school,” a West assistant coach said. “Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed.”</p><p>“Can I trust LaMelo in the playoffs and games that matter late in the season?” wondered an Eastern exec. “We just don’t know.”</p><p>Some vitriol was also aimed at Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who is currently injured.</p><p>“He’s just small and doesn’t play any defense,” said an East scout.</p><p>The Hawks have played well in Young’s absence, which has further fueled trade speculation around the star.</p><p>Overall, it’s still yet to be determined whether any of these star point guards, who were all at one point viewed as the faces of their respective franchises, will be moved in the coming months.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trae Young, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball absolutely destroyed by NBA insiders amid trade buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-sends-tip-iceberg-jalen-johnson-warning-to-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young sends ‘tip of the iceberg’ Jalen Johnson warning to NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Young-and-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption> Eric Hartline-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young sends ‘tip of the iceberg’ Jalen Johnson warning to NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T14:24:55-08:00">December 2nd, 2:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T14:24:55-08:00">December 2nd, 2:24pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-trae-young-gets-updated-injury-timeline"> Atlanta Hawks have been</a> holding down the fort impressively in the absence of Trae Young so far this season, currently sitting at 13-9 on the campaign. Young has been out for over a month after injuring his MCL against the Brooklyn Nets in late October, and since that moment, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-new-career-high-nearly-choking-76ers-epic-fashion">Jalen Johnson has been playing</a> at an All-NBA level to keep the Hawks above water.</p><p>Recently, Young<a href="https://x.com/langleyatl/status/1995938119850549540" rel="noopener"> took to his own</a> “From the Point” podcast to discuss Johnson’s leap.</p><p>“That boy is a star… he has even more room for growth. What you’re seeing from him now is just the tip of the iceberg. Obviously, he’s been carrying us throughout this run and putting up crazy numbers and playing super efficient,” said Young, per Zach Langley on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Indeed, Johnson has used his unique combination of size, athleticism, and court vision to become an All-Star level player for the Hawks this year, generating offense both in transition and the halfcourt for a team that has historically fallen apart whenever Young is off the floor.</p><p>The Hawks’ success without Young in the lineup has caused some to speculate on whether the team may look to part ways with their multi-time All-Star point guard via a trade, but Atlanta will certainly want to get a good look at what the team is like once Young is back in the lineup before they even entertain those conversations.</p><p>Still, Johnson has established himself as far and away the best teammate Young has ever had, and many would argue that he has taken over as the Hawks’ best player moving forward.</p><p>In any case, Atlanta will next take the floor on Wednesday night for a home game against the reeling Los Angeles Clippers. That game is set to tip off at 7:30 pm ET from State Farm Arena.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young sends ‘tip of the iceberg’ Jalen Johnson warning to NBA

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/memphis-grizzlies/nba-rumors-ja-morant-trade-speculation-ropes-trae-young-zach-lavine');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Ja Morant trade speculation ropes in Trae Young, Zach LaVine');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Morant-on-the-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Ja Morant trade speculation ropes in Trae Young, Zach LaVine</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T09:51:19-08:00">December 2nd, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T09:51:19-08:00">December 2nd, 9:51am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Memphis Grizzlies</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the key NBA rumor mill storylines so far this year has been the trade speculation <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-kings-asked-grizzlies-ja-morant-trade">surrounding Memphis Grizzlies</a> former star point guard Ja Morant. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-trade-proposal-lands-ja-morant-grizzlies-desperation-move">Morant has been</a> in and out of the lineup so far this year due to injury, but when he’s been on the court, he’s seen his play taper off significantly in virtually every aspect of the game.</p><p>Still, there is some hope that a change of scenery could help Morant get things back on track, and recently, Sam Amick reported on the latest intel <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6853501/2025/12/02/ja-morant-trade-rumors-grizzlies-wins/" rel="noopener">in that regard.</a></p><p>“To this point, there’s a reason so much of the focus on possible Morant trade scenarios in league circles has been, in essence, on the concept of one team swapping its imperfect former All-Star for another team’s (the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young for Morant; the Kings’ Zach LaVine for Morant — that sort of thing),” reported Amick.</p><p>Amick also added that “the combination of his contract (a combined $87 million in the next two seasons), health concerns and his myriad of controversies has led to a clear conclusion among rival executives: It’s a buyer’s market when it comes to the (fallen) two-time All-Star.”</p><p>Morant was once thought to be a future face of the NBA, but the combination of his off-court issues, along with the Grizzlies’ steady decline over the last three years, has threatened to turn his legacy into nothing more than a cautionary tale.</p><p>At the present moment, the Grizzlies sit with a disappointing record of 9-12, certainly not out of the picture, but not at all where they were hoping they’d be a month and a half into the season.</p><p>If Morant returns from injury and starts to look more like the 2022 version of himself, it’s certainly possible that the wins could finally start stacking up for Memphis–and that the trade return offers could get more enticing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Ja Morant trade speculation ropes in Trae Young, Zach LaVine

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-trae-young-gets-updated-injury-timeline');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young gets updated injury timeline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hawks-All-Star-Trae-Young-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young gets updated injury timeline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-29T12:05:19-08:00">November 29th, 12:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-29T12:23:02-08:00">November 29th, 12:23pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cleveland Cavs 130-123, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-shines-win-cavs">in a game where Jalen Johnson shone</a>, their All-Star guard, Trae Young, got an updated injury timeline. The Hawks improved to 12-8. Young, who hasn’t played in a game since he sprained his right MCL a 117-112 win against the Brooklyn Nets on October 21, received an encouraging update.</p><p>Young is doing well throughout his rehab, but <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1994844834046300363" rel="noopener">will remain sidelined into December</a>, according to Hawks PR, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.</p><p>“He continues to make good progress through his rehabilitation, and he will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks,” Siegel reported.</p><p>Young was very much looking forward to the Hawks’ 2025-26 campaign, calling Atlanta’s roster the most talented he’s ever been a part of. Young was eager for Johnson’s, who missed most of last season, return and playing alongside new players, such as veteran center Kristaps Porzingis, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who’s averaging a career-best 19.3 points on 45.9% shooting.</p><p>The Hawks will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.</p><h2><b>Stan Van Gundy says Hawks a better team without Trae Young</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hawks-All-Star-Trae-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks have a 10-5 record without their All-Star, which is why <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-hawks-fit-hit-harsh-reality-check-stan-van-gundy">Stan Van Gundy says Hawks are better without</a> their starting guard, Trae Young. The Amazon Prime Video NBA announcer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfTOCouZNYM&amp;t=1549s" rel="noopener">delivered his harsh take</a> on Young and the Hawks, per The Zach Lowe Show.</p><p>“I think they’re better without Trae Young. And I say that as a guy, I’ve said that every year when I watch him. And I’m not a Trae hater,” Van Gundy said. “As a matter of fact, if you give me money and I’ve got money to go buy a ticket, and I can go to three games, Trae’s one of the guys I’m going to go watch. I think the guy, to watch him play, forget the long range shooting. The passes he makes, the creativity.</p><p>“I think he is a great watch. I love turning on the Hawks, watching Trae Young pick defenses apart. I love him, but I think this team is better without him,” Van Gundy concluded.</p><p>Young will be re-evaluated in two weeks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young gets updated injury timeline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-may-be-injured-that-didnt-stop-him-helping-families-on-thanksgiving');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young may be injured but that didn’t stop him from helping families on Thanksgiving');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Patrick-Beverley-flames-Trae-Youngs-defense-in-savage-film-breakdown.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young may be injured but that didn’t stop him from helping families on Thanksgiving</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-27T08:24:46-08:00">November 27th, 8:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-27T08:24:46-08:00">November 27th, 8:24am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-hawks-fit-hit-harsh-reality-check-stan-van-gundy">Atlanta Hawks have been</a> up and down so far in the 2025-26 NBA season, currently sitting at 11-8 after a recent road loss to the Washington Wizards. Atlanta has played the majority of this season<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-zach-lavines-camp-pushed-for-trae-young-trade-with-hawks"> without point guard Trae Young</a>, who went down a week into the campaign with an MCL sprain, and while they’ve looked strong at times, it’s also been made clear that they’re better with their point guard on the floor.</p><p>Young recently spread a bit of Holiday spirit <a href="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1994071065073426549" rel="noopener">when he helped out</a> in preparing Thanksgiving meals for over 300 people in the Atlanta area, per a video posted by the Hawks on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trae Young spent Thanksgiving day serving meals for more than 300 people in Atlanta 🙌</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ATLHawks</a>)<a href="https://t.co/s8Tpielfen">pic.twitter.com/s8Tpielfen</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1994071065073426549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Young has long been known for his charitable endeavors, whether that be in Oklahoma, where he played his college basketball, or in Atlanta, where he has spent the entirety of his NBA career.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Hawks will certainly be hoping to have Young back on the floor sooner rather than later as their schedule difficulty starts to pick up over the next couple of weeks.</p><p>In Young’s absence, young power forward Jalen Johnson has blossomed into a legitimate All-Star level player, and the team’s defense has certainly seen a noticeable uptick without having to cover for Young’s weaknesses at that end of the floor.</p><p>However, on more than one occasion, the Hawks’ offense has gone stagnant down the stretch of close games, which is certainly an area where Young’s presence can help out significantly, especially in a potential playoff setting–the Hawks are hoping to end their two-year postseason drought this year and get out of the play-in game caurosel that has defined them since the 2021-22 season.</p><p>In any case, the Hawks are next set to take the floor on Friday evening for a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, before hitting the road for games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young may be injured but that didn’t stop him from helping families on Thanksgiving

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-hawks-fit-hit-harsh-reality-check-stan-van-gundy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Trae Young Hawks’ fit hit with harsh reality check from Stan Van Gundy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hawks-guard-Trae-Young-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Trae Young Hawks’ fit hit with harsh reality check from Stan Van Gundy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-26T11:41:33-08:00">November 26th, 11:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-26T11:41:33-08:00">November 26th, 11:41am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As Atlanta Hawks guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-fascinating-trae-young-situation-nba-insiders-trade">Trae Young’s trade rumors and proposals continue</a> amid recovery from a right MCL sprain, NBA broadcaster Stan Van Gundy believes the Hawks should consider parting ways with the four-time All-Star. The Hawks are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including back-to-back wins against the New Orleans Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>In light of the Hawks’ recent success, Van Gundy discussed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfTOCouZNYM&amp;t=1549s" rel="noopener">the contrast he’s seen</a> in the team, with and without Young, he said, per The Zach Lowe Show.</p><p>“I think they’re better without Trae Young. And I say that as a guy, I’ve said that every year when I watch him. And I’m not a Trae hater,” Van Gundy said. “As a matter of fact, if you give me money and I’ve got money to go buy a ticket, and I can go to three games, Trae’s one of the guys I’m going to go watch. I think the guy, to watch him play, forget the long range shooting. The passes he makes, the creativity.</p><p>“I think he is a great watch. I love turning on the Hawks, watching Trae Young pick defenses apart. I love him, but I think this team is better without him,” Van Gundy concluded.</p><p>Van Gundy couldn’t stress enough how his take on Young and the Hawks isn’t personal. For an All-Star who receives flak for not leading Atlanta to a deep playoff run over the past few years, Trae’s fit with the Hawks isn’t a knock on his game.</p><p>After a 2-3 start with Young, who only played in five games before his his MCL injury, the Hawks are 9-3 in his absence.</p><h2><b>Trae Young, Hawks situation is ‘facinating’ says NBA executive</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hawks-guard-Trae-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the new and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-zach-lavines-camp-pushed-for-trae-young-trade-with-hawks">old trade proposals for Hawks’ Trae Young</a> continue to surface, one executive says the Hawks’ situation with Young is one to keep an eye on this season. NBA broadcaster Stan Van Gundy isn’t the only one paying close attention to the Hawks’ season, as one <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47039949/nba-first-month-lessons-intel-thunder-lakers-warriors-knicks-every-team" rel="noopener">Western Conference executive revealed his take</a>, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.</p><p>“I think the Trae Young situation is fascinating,” he told ESPN. “They’re a totally different team with and without him.”</p><p>The Hawks will look to bounce back from their loss to the Wizards when they host the Cavs in an NBA Cup game on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Trae Young Hawks’ fit hit with harsh reality check from Stan Van Gundy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/jalen-johnson-emergence-hawks-top-option-trae-young-trade-dilemma');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Johnson’s emergence as Hawks’ top option creates Trae Young trade dilemma');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jalen-Johnsons-emergence-as-Hawks-top-option-creates-Trae-Young-trade-dilemma.jpg"></figure><h1>Jalen Johnson’s emergence as Hawks’ top option creates Trae Young trade dilemma</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-25T14:11:02-08:00">November 25th, 2:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-25T14:11:02-08:00">November 25th, 2:11pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-what-nba-insiders-really-think-atlanta-bombshell-offseason">a lot of hype surrounding the Atlanta Hawks</a>‘ roster entering the 2025-26 NBA season after all the offseason additions they made. Along with adding Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard, the Hawks were getting Jalen Johnson back from his shoulder injury.</p><p>Last season, Johnson’s year was cut short to just 36 games because of a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-gets-brutally-honest-his-injury-absence">torn labrum in his left shoulder</a>. Before the injury, Johnson was having an All-Star-like season, averaging 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor.</p><p>Many were already considering Johnson as the early favorite for the league’s Most Improved Player award before he went down with his shoulder injury.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-drops-jalen-johnson-endorsement-impressive-play">With Johnson emerging as a real threat</a> alongside All-Star point guard Trae Young, the Hawks entered the new season as threats to contend at the top of the East. But the Hawks lost three of their first four games, and to make matters worse, Young went down with a sprained MCL in his right knee in the team’s fifth game.</p><p>Since then, the Hawks have won nine of their last 13 games, and Johnson has been the catalyst of their success.</p><p>The 23-year-old forward is averaging 22.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from 3-point range. Only Nikola Jokic and Johnson are averaging at least 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists per game with 50-40 shooting splits this season.</p><p>Atlanta knew what Johnson was capable of becoming, and he has picked up right where he left off last season when he injured his shoulder. Now, with Young sidelined, Johnson is seizing the moment to prove that he can be the face of this franchise for many years to come.</p><h2><b>Jalen Johnson cementing himself as an All-Star, face of Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jalen-Johnson-with-Dyson-Daniels.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Throughout his young career, Johnson has never been one to put himself over others.</p><p>Johnson spent a lot of time on the bench through his first two seasons simply working on his craft, and he never said a word about the lack of playing time he was receiving or his role. The start of his career was all about paving a path forward, and we are beginning to see the <a href="https://andscape.com/features/atlanta-hawks-forward-jalen-johnson-uses-reality-check-to-reach-nba-stardom/" rel="noopener">years of hard work</a> behind the scenes paying off.</p><p>“If you don’t rush nothing and you trust your process and truly embrace the grind and not just say words about it, but actually be about your actions, it’s just a matter of time. You start slowly seeing yourself progress forward and make small steps,” Johnson recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “And the next thing you know, your numbers get better. All that stuff takes care of itself.</p><p>“I know my game. I know the work I put in. I know it’s going to eventually be up there and people are going to start to take recognition.”</p><p>Well, the NBA as a whole is certainly taking notice of Johnson and the Hawks, as the young emerging star has cemented himself as one of the league’s best overall talents.</p><p>Looking at the Eastern Conference alone, Johnson currently ranks 15th in scoring and seventh in assists, as well as tied for seventh in rebounding. Only five players in the East have <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/most-20-point-games-in-nba-this-season" rel="noopener">more 20-point games</a> than him this season, as he’s tied with a handful of others in the conference with 12 such games.</p><p>Johnson is one of 15 players in the NBA this season to tally a triple-double, and his nine double-doubles in 16 games are tied for the sixth-most in the league.</p><p>With the Hawks currently above the play-in tournament in the East standings and Johnson leading the team to wins in the wake of Trae Young’s injury, it’s become very clear that he will be a first-time All-Star this season. More importantly, Johnson is becoming the face of the franchise.</p><p>Johnson has been the star of the Hawks since Young’s injury, and it’s clear that Atlanta is building their future around him, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu.</p><p>These four youthful talents make up one of the better cores in the entire NBA, yet nobody is talking about the Hawks and what they’ve built. Johnson and this group are only going to continue getting better as the season progresses, which is why the Hawks are in one of the best spots out of any team in the league right now.</p><p>The Hawks have won seven of their last nine games, and they are joined by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams in the league that currently have eight road wins. During this stretch, Johnson was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-humble-reaction-winning-player-week-award">recently named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.</a></p><p>Despite not having Young, this team has sustained success by playing through Johnson and making him their featured star. He can push the pace, score from the perimeter, punish smaller defenders in the low post, and be a primary playmaker for his teammates as a <i>point forward</i>.</p><p>For those reasons alone, Johnson has not only earned the right to be an All-Star this season but also to be called the face of the Hawks. Of course, this leads to major questions about what the future holds for Young in Atlanta.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Trae Young?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trae-Young-with-Quin-Snyder.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-injury-disaster">Trae Young went down with his knee injury</a> in the Hawks’ fifth game of the season against the Brooklyn Nets, many immediately thought Atlanta would decline without their leader.</p><p>The opposite has been true, as Johnson’s emergence as the new leader of the Hawks has helped forge this team’s identity, one that revolves around defending at a high level and consistently spreading the ball around on offense. That is why the Hawks currently lead the league in assists per game (30.4).</p><p>This has never been an issue for Young, as he’s one of the best passing point guards in the league. Just last season, Young led the NBA in assists (11.6), and he’s always been the catalyst for the Hawks’ success on offense.</p><p>However, since his injury, head coach Quin Snyder has put a lot of trust in Johnson and Daniels to lead the team. So far, Snyder’s philosophy and belief in his young players have put the Hawks in a position to contend at the top of the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Young is still working his way back from his knee injury behind the scenes, and the team will re-evaluate him at the end of November. Should this evaluation go well and the star guard doesn’t suffer any setbacks over the next few days, he will likely enter the next step of his rehab and begin on-court work.</p><p>That likely puts Young’s timeline around 10-14 days before he would be re-evaluated again, so it’s realistic to believe that he will return sometime around the holidays in mid-December.</p><p>Although this is good news for the Hawks, given Young’s offensive skills and ability to take pressure off Johnson and Daniels as the main facilitators, do Snyder and the team really want to get away from what has been working?</p><p>After all, having the ball in Johnson’s hands has allowed him to evolve into a multi-purpose offensive threat and All-Star in his own right. Upon returning to the court, Young won’t be the sole facilitator of the basketball anymore, and he will need to find a way to reintegrate himself with this group without changing their new style of play.</p><p>A lot of noise was made in the offseason about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-fascinating-trae-young-situation-nba-insiders-trade">Young’s future</a> with the organization and whether they would potentially look to trade him, especially with contract negotiations going nowhere and both sides at peace with the idea of the All-Star finishing his current contract.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/latest-intel-bennedict-mathurin-tari-eason-failed-rookie-contract-extensions">Hawks did not seek to move Young at any point this offseason</a>, nor did they feel as if Young was unhappy with how his contract negotiations were handled. Both sides understand the business side of the league, and Young remained committed to his organization throughout the preseason and entering the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Still, the idea of trading Young is simply something born outside of Atlanta. This organization values Young, and they remain committed to him being their point guard this season.</p><p>Things always change on a dime in the NBA, and this isn’t to say that the ideology surrounding Young won’t be altered before the trade deadline in February, but the franchise is excited for their lead guard to get back on the court alongside Johnson, Daniels, and others.</p><p>Looking ahead to the later stages of this season and well ahead into next summer, it’s already become clear that Young’s value to the Hawks has declined. Johnson’s emergence and youth make him the ideal player for this organization to build with for many years to come, which leads to questions about just how much the Hawks would be willing to pay Young next summer, as he owns a $48.9 million player option.</p><p>No matter how you look at it, Atlanta is in a great position. Young’s likely return to the court in a few weeks acts as a mid-season addition for this group in a way, and Johnson will continue his All-Star-level play. What this team looks like with Young back in the fold throughout January before the trade deadline will tell the tale of what Young’s future in Atlanta looks like.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Johnson’s emergence as Hawks’ top option creates Trae Young trade dilemma

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/nba-rumors-zach-lavines-camp-pushed-for-trae-young-trade-with-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Zach LaVine’s camp pushed for Trae Young trade with Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Kings-11.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Zach LaVine’s camp pushed for Trae Young trade with Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-23T09:59:14-08:00">November 23rd, 9:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-23T09:59:14-08:00">November 23rd, 9:59am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-the-pieces-of-this-seasons?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=179678288&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">made a strong offseason push</a> to convince the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-rumors-2-trade-untouchables-sacramento-open-for-business">Kings to pursue a trade</a> for Atlanta star Trae Young, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. The attempt never gained real traction. But it added another layer to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/nba-rumors-will-warriors-prior-zach-lavine-trade-interest-revisited">Sacramento’s ongoing search</a> for long-term direction during a season defined by frustration and uncertainty.</p><p>Reports from The Stein Line indicated that LaVine’s camp tried to spark interest in a deal that would have sent him to Atlanta and brought Young to Sacramento. Former general manager Monte McNair even explored the idea inside the front office, including early discussions about potential trade structures that involved DeAaron Fox. Those conversations never advanced. Instead, the transition to new general manager Scott Perry ended any remaining possibility.</p><p>Perry has made it clear that the Kings will not pursue Young, LaMelo Ball, or Ja Morant. Sacramento’s new leadership wants defensive toughness at the point of attack. None of the available star guards fits that profile. Young remains one of the league’s premier offensive engines. But his defensive concerns and the massive cost of a future extension make him an ill fit for a roster that already leans heavily toward offense.</p><h2><b>What’s next for the Kings?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Kings-21.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings enter the week with a 4 and 13 record and remain open to trade inquiries across most of the roster. Keegan Murray and Nique Clifford stand as exceptions because both are viewed as long-term building blocks. Domantas Sabonis also remains unlikely to be moved because of his value to ownership and his comfort in the market. However, his defensive limitations complicate any attempt to extract value in a deal.</p><p>LaVine continues to play through frustration as Sacramento searches for stability. His scoring ability remains valuable. But his role and future with the team are unsettled. The push for Young underscored his desire for a star playmaker beside him. But it also highlighted why Sacramento is no longer willing to chase high-scoring guards who offer little on the defensive end.</p><p>The Kings remain committed to reshaping the identity of the franchise. The failed offseason attempt to bring Young to Sacramento makes that priority unmistakable.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Zach LaVine’s camp pushed for Trae Young trade with Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-fascinating-trae-young-situation-nba-insiders-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: ‘Fascinating’ Trae Young situation has NBA insiders thinking trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hawks-All-star-Trae-Young-vs-Bulls.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: ‘Fascinating’ Trae Young situation has NBA insiders thinking trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-21T08:14:37-08:00">November 21st, 8:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-21T08:14:37-08:00">November 21st, 8:14am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-atlanta-injury-report-pistons-7-questionable-players">Atlanta Hawks are navigating a revealing stretch without Trae Young</a>, and their future now sits at the center of trade rumors as the wins keep coming. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-nets-game-knee-injury">Young’s sprained knee on Oct. 29 arrived at a difficult time</a>, but it also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-vit-krejci-craziest-3-meant-nothing">opened a door the Hawks franchise never expected to walk through this early</a>. Atlanta has gone 7-2 without him. The defense looks sharper. The pacing is steadier. And the team now ranks fourth in defensive efficiency during this run, a place it hasn’t reached in any of Young’s seven seasons.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-predicts-atlanta-survive-without-trae-young">That Hawks transformation has caught the eye of front offices</a> across the league. One Western Conference executive <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47039949/nba-first-month-lessons-intel-thunder-lakers-warriors-knicks-every-team" rel="noopener">summed up</a> the intrigue with an honesty rarely heard in November. “I think the Trae Young situation is fascinating,” he told ESPN. “They’re a totally different team with and without him.” The numbers back it up, but the implications stretch beyond analytics. They point toward a deeper, more complicated question about the Hawks’ direction and identity.</p><h2>A stretch that could reshape the Hawks franchise</h2><p>This period matters because <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-these-eye-opening-trae-young-stats-will-have-fans-thinking-trade">Trae Young holds a $48.9 million player option next summer</a>. Every game he misses gives Atlanta another data point, another angle to consider. The Hawks are defending at a level they haven’t touched before. They’re winning games that used to slip away. And they’re doing it with a style that looks more sustainable than anything from past seasons.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-these-eye-opening-trae-young-stats-will-have-fans-thinking-trade">As trade rumors gather momentum around Trae Young</a>, the Hawks must now confront how this surge without him shapes their long-term choices. However, none of this means the team wants to move on from Young. But it does mean the picture is changing. Executives are talking. Insiders are watching. Fans are debating a future that suddenly feels less certain than it did a month ago.</p><p>And when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/trae-young-to-be-re-evaluated-in-4-weeks-with-mcl-injury">Trae Young returns in a few weeks</a>, the league will be watching for the answer to the question this run created: do the Hawks stay the same, or does this spark something new?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
17.8	2.0	7.8	0.2	0.8

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
17.8	2.0	7.8	0.2	0.8

Trae Young news

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