The Trae Young-Dejounte Murray partnership in Atlanta came to an abrupt end after just two seasons, with the Hawks trading Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. Now, Trae Young has finally spoken out about the challenges that led to the split during an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George.
“We’re not the first duo that couldn’t work, and we’re not going to be the last,” Young shared with George. “It just didn’t work out on the court, and it sucks. We both admitted it sucks, and that’s just part of the game. If it doesn’t work, teams have to figure out what to do next and make moves.”
Young explained that the issues stemmed from both players’ unselfishness and overlapping roles. “It was tough because we’re both very unselfish in different ways. There were times early on where I’d pass it to him, and he wants to be aggressive, but he’s a point guard too. So he’s not always thinking score-first. But when I’m on the court, sometimes he’s playing as a shooting guard… The combination just didn’t work.”
On paper, the pairing seemed promising—Murray was known as a solid defender in San Antonio, not necessarily a primary scorer. However, as Young noted, “When he came to us, it’s just a different feel. It just sucks that it didn’t work.”
Despite their on-court struggles, Young emphasized that their bond off the court remains strong. “The good part is we have a lifelong relationship,” Young said. “Our relationship goes beyond basketball. We’re both family men, and our values are very similar in terms of who we keep around us and how we live our lives. The way we get along off the court is forever.”
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During their two seasons together, Young and Murray led the Hawks to 41 and 36 wins, respectively. They reached the playoffs in their first year but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round. In their second season, they missed the playoffs entirely.
Murray was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6 in exchange for Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and two future first-round draft picks.
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