Trae Young, Dejounte Murray shut down breakup rumors as former All-Star bids emotional farewell to Atlanta after Pelicans trade

The Atlanta Hawks have finally decided to part ways with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. With the duo having failed to find success over the past two seasons, many expected the Hawks to part ways with at least one of them this summer. And it was Murray who was sent to the Pelicans in a blockbuster trade. Many also blamed rumors of a locker room rift between the two stars as the reason they never worked together. However, Murray and Young silenced all the critics by publicly quelling their feud after an emotional farewell message from the former All-Star.

After finally getting the news of his departure from Atlanta, Murray compiled his two-year journey with the Hawks in an Instagram post, sharing several nostalgic images with his teammates as well as a heartfelt message, “ATLANTA…Thank you for welcoming me and my family and making us feel at home. To my brothers over the last 2 years in ATL, I appreciate you and love you forever. To the staff that I have built relationships with, I thank you all. I can’t forget all the fans from my family outings to the games at State Farm Arena. The love with the fans was so awesome and just the ones that appreciated what I stood for as a man and always told me thank you for not really missing the games and just competing every time I stepped on the field!!! Thank you ATL, I send you all for life…”

The emotional message also struck a chord with his former running mate Trae Young, who shared the post on his IG story saying: “Know what it is 5.” And to top it all off, Trae put the photo with Dejounte that they took together during their SLAM photoshoot as the first photo on his story. While Murray didn’t specifically mention Trae in his farewell message, he was grateful for all the teammates he’s had in Atlanta over the past two years. It’s now safe to say that their rumored breakup may not have been real after all.

Trae Young’s Dilemma

With Murray saying goodbye to the franchise that saw him the last two years, the Hawks now have to decide what they want to do with Trae. In exchange for Murray, the Hawks received some major assets to work with, including Dyson Daniels, EJ Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and several future draft picks. But now they have to decide whether they want to continue building their future around Trae Young or go in a completely different direction.

Playing with Trae as their primary option for the past six years, they have never reached the conference finals, not once. So it may be time to capitalize on this opportunity by trading Young and starting over with a rebuild. However, that may be easier said than done. His rumored suitors, the Lakers and Spurs, have reportedly not shown much interest in the three-time All-Star, according to the BBC. ESPN Zach Lowe.

Because of this setback, the Hawks may have to either find new suitors for Young or play at least one more season with him as their leader. What do you think they should do?

Before you go, be sure to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s former agent Leonard Armato for more on the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.