Tag: trae young

Michael Porter Jr. jokes Trae Young, Brandon Roy are ‘jealous’ he’s in Finals

Michael Porter made fun of longtime friend Trae Young and his high school coach Brandon Roy when talking about the NBA Finals.

Michael Porter Jr. doesn’t have a whole lot on Trae Young, who drops 30 points regularly, or Brandon Roy, who was one of the most electric player in the league over the second half of the aughts and is the former high school coach of Porter.

But in getting to the NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets guard now has at least one thing on the two.

When asked who has offered him advice during a pre-Finals press conference, Porter mentioned both of his longtime friends

“Me and Trae Young have talked a lot. He’s jealous, since I’m in the Finals and he’s only made the Eastern Conference Finals,” Porter said with a smile. “We were talking about that in LA, he came to our last game in LA.”

Porter added while laughing: “Then Brandon Roy, my coach from high school, he called me the other day and he pretty much was just criticizing everything that I was doing. I think he’s jealous too because he never made it to the Finals.

“He’s seen how my game has evolved since my injuries and things, so he gives me great advice. A good mentor to me.”

The clip starts around the 3:51 mark:

Porter and Young became close friends as they grew up as elite high school basketball prospects together. The two played on the same Nike EYBL team and were on the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 team in Chile. The Athletic did a bit of a deep dive into their relationship back in 2019.

Porter was widely regarded as a top-two prospect in the class of 2017, while Young was ranked in the 20-30 range on the 247Sports Composite and the outlet’s rankings.

Meanwhile, Roy coached Porter at Nathan Hale High School (Seattle, Wash.). With the star forward and former NBA coach, the team went undefeated and won the championship, as Roy was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year and Porter enrolled at Missouri. Roy now coaches at his alma mater, Garfield High School (Seattle, Wash).

Mock trade has Nets trading Mikal Bridges and picks for Trae Young

This mock trade suggested by Sportsnaut.com is unlikely to happen, but it is interesting to wonder what a trade for a superstar would look like for the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets had a successful 2022-23 season given the circumstances that the organization dealt with over the course of the campaign. The franchise had to deal with a coaching transition from Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn, controversy with Kyrie Irving, and eventually ended up trading Kevin Durant and Irving.

After the trades of Durant and Irving, Brooklyn went from a title contender to a team scrapping to avoid the play-in scenario and make the playoffs outright. The Nets achieved that as they finished with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference before getting swept in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since the trade deadline, while one could argue that while Brooklyn was deeper in terms of players that can contribute, the team lacked a superstar-level guys despite the awesome play of wing Mikal Bridges. In this mock trade suggested by Vincent Frank of Sportsnaut.com, the Nets get their superstar to pair with Bridges and give themselves a better chance of being a title contender in the East:

Buha: Lakers ‘have had internal discussions about’ Trae Young trade

Could the Lakers be considering a trade for two-time All-Star guard Trae Young?

The Los Angeles Lakers salvaged what looked like another dismal season with a series of midseason trades that suddenly made them a really good team.

But those moves were only good enough to take them to the Western Conference finals, where they were swept by the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Los Angeles will have some personnel decisions to make this offseason, and the biggest will be what to do with guard D’Angelo Russell, one of three players acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade. Russell did very well in the regular season, but he was up and down in the first two rounds of the playoffs and downright bad against Denver.

He will be a free agent this summer, which has once again led to rumors the Lakers might try to pursue Kyrie Irving in a sign-and-trade for a package centered around Russell.

According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, there is another high-scoring star guard the team has at least talked internally about possibly pursuing: Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

Via The Athletic:

“The Lakers have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.”

Young is a very good player and can explode like few others. The problem is he’s a low-efficiency scorer. He shot just 42.9% overall and 33.5% 3-point range in the regular season. He’s hardly the scoring threat who would address L.A.’s lingering need for better outside shooting.

It should be noted that, like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Young is represented by Klutch Sports.

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Trae Young should be one of the Brooklyn Nets’ top trade targets

Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young should be one of the top players on the Brooklyn Nets’ wish list, according to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report.

Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young should be at the top of the Brooklyn Nets‘ list of players that it should trade for, according to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report. It was reported earlier this season that no player on the Hawks is untouchable, including Young.

Young has been one of the better offensive players in the NBA ever since he came into the league as the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. Since coming into the league, Young, 24, is averaging 25.5 points and 9.3 assists per game while shooting 43.7% from the field and 35.1% from three-point land.

It will be interesting to see what direction the Hawks go in this offseason given that they made it to the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the seventh seed before losing to the second seed Boston Celtics in six games. Throughout this past season, Atlanta has been trying to trade John Collins, but it’s possible that Young could be on the trading block as well if Quin Snyder wants a different style of lead guard.

The Nets are also in an interesting place given that they made it into the playoffs outright as the sixth seed before getting swept by the Philadelphia 76ers. After trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn finished the season below .500 and were in the bottom half of the league in both offensive rating and defensive rating. Young would not help the defensive side of the ball, but he should would help with the offensive part:

“Mikal Bridges isn’t an A-plus-plus-plus superstar, but his on-ball offensive leap and contract (three years, $69.9 million) offer the Nets a directional alternative. Rather than rebuild, they can look to reload around him and another star—preferably an advantage creator.

Enter Trae Young.

Rumblings about his future in Atlanta persisted through the end of the season. The Hawks aren’t obligated to trade him. He has another three years before he’s eligible to hit free agency. But if they do decide to shop him, Brooklyn has a gaping hole at the point of attack and plenty of assets to peddle.”

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Multiple Sixers react to Trae Young shot to give them more days off

The Philadelphia 76ers react to Trae Young’s shot to give them more days off before the semifinals begin.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers don’t have an opponent for the Eastern Conference semifinals. After they finished a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on April 22, they have been waiting.

That opponent will either be the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks. Many assumed the Celtics would finish the Hawks on Tuesday, but Atlanta star Trae Young had other ideas. He drilled a deep 3 with 1.8 seconds left to lift the Hawks to a Game 5 win. That win kept the Hawks alive and it afforded the Sixers more days off to rest.

If Boston had won Game 5, the semifinals would have begun on April 29 for Philadelphia. Now, the semifinals will begin on May 1 no matter if it’s the Celtics or the Hawks. That gives Joel Embiid more time to rest, so Young did a favor for the Sixers with that shot.

At practice on Wednesday, the Sixers gave their thoughts on Young’s shot.

Trae Young drained a ridiculous season-saving 3-pointer to force a Game 6 for the Hawks

ICE TRAE!

Trae Young is absolutely magic with the ball in his hands.

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks were facing elimination at the hands of the Boston Celtics, down 3-1 in their first round series of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Hawks held a one-point lead in the final 30 seconds of the game, but the Celtics were able to take the lead back 117-116 thanks to a pair of free throws.

With 7.2 seconds remaining in the Hawks season, Young unleashed a ruthless three-point attempt feet away from the Celtics logo. A risky shot, but for Young, he made it look easy as he drained the three pointer to save the Hawks season with a 119-117 victory.

Ice cold, Trae!

But seriously, what a night for Young, as he posted 38 points to lift the Hawks to a victory with a superhuman effort. Here’s how NBA fans reacted to Young’s incredible three pointer that saved Atlanta’s season.

Sixers’ Joel Embiid reacts to Trae Young sinking Celtics in Game 5

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid reacts to Trae Young sinking the Boston Celtics with a huge shot.

The Philadelphia 76ers just received more time to rest. The Atlanta Hawks shocked the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Tuesday night by rallying from a late deficit to knock off the Cs on the road, 119-117.

They did so behind the heroics of Trae Young. The leader of the Hawks drilled a ridiculous logo 3-pointer on the road with 1.8 seconds left after Derrick White had given Boston the lead on two free throws.

Young finished with 38 points and 13 assists on the night in an impressive showing for Atlanta who was missing the suspended Dejounte Murray.

Joel Embiid, who now gets more time to rest and heal up before the semifinals, reacted to Young’s big shot for the Hawks.

Embiid and the Sixers now begin the semifinals against either the Celtics or the Hawks on May 1. Either they will take the trip to Boston or the Hawks will pay a visit to Philadelphia.

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B/R says Trae Young should be the Brooklyn Nets’ main trade target

The Nets should go after Trae Young if they want to find a star this offseason, according to Bleacher Report.

The Brooklyn Nets have an important offseason ahead of them as they look to find a way to either become a title contender or fully embrace a rebuild. After the season that started with championship aspirations with the team headed by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the campaign ended with getting swept in the first-round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers.

While Brooklyn recovered well from essentially being forced to trade Durant and Irving, the Nets are now stuck in between competing for championships and being in a position to acquire and develop top talent via the Draft. Players like Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton have shown that they can be part of a core to surround a star or two in search of a championship.

However, this season showed that Brooklyn needs more if they want to get back into the title conversation. Finishing this season with a 12-15 record after the trade deadline and failing to win a game in the playoffs left a bad taste in the mouths of Nets fans. According to Bleacher Report, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young could be the answer:

“Young is absurdly productive. He hasn’t averaged fewer than 25 points since his rookie season, and he just delivered his first double-digit assists average. He more or less guarantees his team will have a top-10 attack on his own given his off-the-dribble scoring, pull-up shooting and prolific passing.

The defensive end can be a struggle with Young, though, which might be why Atlanta’s front office reportedly has the green light to consider dealing him, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. If Young does hit the trade block, the Nets should think long and hard about making an aggressive offer for him.”

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NBA executive: Lakers could be a destination for Trae Young this summer

One NBA executive thinks the Lakers could make a play for the Hawks’ Trae Young this summer.

Ever since he was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers in February’s Russell Westbrook trade, D’Angelo Russell has made a major impact.

He averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 48.4% overall and 41.4% from 3-point range in 17 regular-season games with the Purple and Gold, and he has been the steady ball-handling guard they wanted Westbrook to be.

Russell will be a free agent this summer, and while the Lakers are widely expected to try to keep him, it isn’t a lock he will remain with the Purple and Gold, especially if another team offers him lots of money or if he plays poorly in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, there are whispers the Atlanta Hawks could make some major changes this summer, and one NBA executive said that if they want to move on from star guard Trae Young, he could be headed to the Lakers (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via Heavy.com:

“They went out and got tradeable pieces,” the executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. “If the Hawks don’t make a move in the summer, the Lakers would be a possibility next season. It would take a lot, and things would have to align just right for that. I also don’t buy that every guy who signs with Klutch is going to the Lakers, that is obviously not the case. But this is one they have been watching.

“The Hawks could look into the market on Young, but the thing is, it is not going to be as strong as they’d like. He has flaws, a lot of them, and they’ve sort of been exposed in the last couple of years. I am not sure how many real bidders Atlanta would get if they put him on the market, but it probably not as many as they think.”

Young is one of the more explosive guards in the game, and he averaged 26.2 points and 10.2 assists a game in the regular season. However, he is an inefficient player, having shot 42% overall and 33.5% from downtown, and L.A. has no need for an undersized guard like him who has trouble consistently hitting from the outside and is ball-dominant.

He has four more years on his contract at over $40 million per annum, with that figure topping out at nearly $49 million for the 2026-27 campaign.

All told, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers having lots of interest in Young, even if they wanted to move on from Russell.

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A series in two chants: How TD Garden fan reactions reflect Derrick White’s rise

And for that matter, why heliocentric rosters are a gamble.

The Boston Celtics‘ 119-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals’ first round was in some ways a tale told by two very distinct reactions by the crowd at TD Garden.

The Hawks have struggled to find their groove on the offensive end of the court on a team with the roster primarily geared towards playing a style of ball that emphasizes the offense of their one true star player in Trae Young. That opens the ball club up to weaknesses on the defensive end of the court vs. teams like the Celtics who have multiple stars and a strong supporting cast able to exploit said weaknesses.

Boston’s Derrick White being a proverbial thorn in the side of the Hawks in this series while Atlanta struggles to keep Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown contained is perhaps the most salient example we’ve seen in the series so far.