Where do Atlanta Falcons rank in cities 2024 title hopes

3. Atlanta Hawks

It seems the Atlanta Hawks fandom and front office are split into two factions. One blaming everything on Trae Young and one demanding the star is the only reason for recent relevance. The truth as usual is somewhere in between.

Young is a star who has proven capable of taking a team on a deep playoff run. Young and the Hawks fought with the eventual champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. This after Trae took the heart of the Knicks and the Hawks seemingly ended Ben Simmons' ascension.

It was a truly impressive run and Atlanta has responded by making nonsensical moves and shedding off key pieces each offseason. As long as Trae remains on this roster the Hawks have the ceiling to be a surprise East contender.

With that said, Trae does need to take more accountability and control of this team if he is to remain with the franchise. This means continuing to improve your effort defensively, answering tough questions, staying healthy, and delivering in big moments.

If the Hawks trade Young, this offseason you can push their title hopes straight to the bottom of the list. They would be a lottery team hoping to find another franchise player to fail.