NBA Scout offers bold take on Hawks, Trae Young

Many people in the NBA expect some big moves for the Atlanta Hawks soon. New people will lead that lead, as former general manager and president of Basketball Operations, Travis Schlenk, has moved to a senior advisory role with the team.

Landry Fields, the current general manager, will take on a larger role within the front office. Fields’ first order of business will reportedly be to find a trade centered around John Collins.

Collins is in the second year of a massive $125 million five-year contract, which will create some obstacles for the Hawks to trade him. Teams don’t line up for a player on a contract of that magnitude who also happens to be in the middle of the worst statistical season of his career. Good luck selling it without taking assets with him.

Whatever the Hawks can do with Collins, it’s clear that this is an organization that needed some changes. There are tense relationships within the organization, which is in part why Schlenk was moved within the franchise, according to an NBA scout who spoke to NBA Analysis Network.

“The Hawks essentially moved on from Travis Schlenk. The writing on the wall was right there with that one. From what you hear about the Hawks, he didn’t have strong relationships with players – there was more of a divide between the front office in that regard.

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However, the organization has potentially bigger problems on the track. Earlier this season, All-Star point guard Trae Young and Nate McMillan had what they labeled as a miscommunication that resulted in Young not playing in a game against the Denver Nuggets.

It seems their issues run deeper as there is tension between the two, similar to what Young felt with Lloyd Pierce, the head coach who took over from McMillan. Word surfaced that Young could be the next young star to request a trade, if things don’t change for the Hawks this season.

However, the scout who provided the insight into Schlenk does not foresee that this will happen. If anyone’s on the way, they say it’s McMillan.

“Landry Field is described as being more aligned with Trae Young — which makes it seem likely that the next natural progression would be to change coaches if things don’t change. … I consider that much more likely than trading the All-Star.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Nate McMillan & Atlanta Hawks Updates

There have been many power struggles between head coaches and star players throughout the NBA. That is rarely a battle the head coach will win, as in almost every case the owner would rather find a new head coach rather than try to develop and find a new star player to build on.

McMillan and the Hawks are victims of their success. They haven’t come close to replicating the run they’ve made to reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, which is part of the reason tensions are running high within the organization.