Getty The Atlanta Hawks face a decision on the futures of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
There has been plenty of trade rumors hovering around the Atlanta Hawks, particularly star guard Trae Young. During an exclusive wide-ranging interview with Heavy Sports, Taylor Rooks and Joy Taylor discussed Young’s future, their successful podcast and partnership with Rocket Mortgage.
Rooks is an Atlanta native and admitted it was “heartbreaking” watching the Hawks’ 15-point elimination loss to the Chicago Bulls. Young’s future is intricately tied to Dejounte Murray as well.
“In terms of what they should do in the offseason, I am a big advocate of I want every player to get into the situation that works for them,” Rooks told Heavy Sports during an April 18, 2024 interview. “I think that if Trae and the Hawks end up having a conversation and they feel like, ‘Okay, this has not been working. We obviously had a great year [in 2021]. We went to the Eastern Conference Finals.’
“But I think that Hawks fans are trying to figure out what is the missing piece. Is it that piece is missing or is it that piece needs to be swapped?” Rooks pondered. “Whatever it is, I think that Hawks fans really took a liking to Dejounte. Dejounte was able to step up a lot when Trae was hurt. That team was able to click in a lot of ways.”
Taylor Rooks on Trae Young: ‘He Has Been Such a Steward of Atlanta’
One thing that is hard to quantify is how Young has embraced the city of Atlanta. The Hawks would not just be losing their star player, but someone who the city has embraced.
“But I, of course, am a Trae fan,” Rooks added. “I vividly remember when obviously he was drafted to Atlanta and that whole night was a whole mess [with the] Luka [Doncic] trade, etc., etc. But I was really happy that we ended up with Trae, and he has been such a steward of Atlanta. So, I hope it all works out for him.”
Hawks Rumors: The Buzz Around the NBA Is That Atlanta Will Explore Trades for Trae Young
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the buzz around the league is that Atlanta will explore potential trades for Young. The challenge is it is unclear what the Hawks will be able to net in return.
“The leaguewide expectation is thus only stronger, two months removed from my piece, that the Hawks will try to trade Young or Murray this offseason,” Stein wrote in an April 20 story titled, “The NBA playoffs are here … and so is my around-the-league latest Intel.” “You could also say that there is a growing belief in many corners of the league that Atlanta’s preference would actually be shopping Young.
“The challenge there, of course, is that Young would not exactly enter the trade market at peak value if Atlanta decides to seriously explore moving him.”
Joy Taylor & Taylor Rooks Are Partnering With Rocket Mortgage to Help Raise Money During the NFL Draft
Rooks and Taylor also discussed their partnership with Rocket Mortgage ahead of the NFL draft for their “Dreammate” campaign. The media stars have leaned on their friendship to launch the successful “Two Personal” podcast. Now, the duo wants to help home ownership continue to rise.
Each time the hashtag #RocketDreammate is used on TikTok or Instagram now through the end of the NFL Draft on April 27, Rocket Mortgage will make a $10 contribution to Habitat for Humanity up to $250,000, which will help bring to life the dream of homeownership for Americans across the country.
“It is really an incredible thing to be able to give back to the community,” Taylor explained. “The whole purpose of the campaign is to illustrate that you are not on your own.
“You don’t reach success on your own. You do have support and Rocket Mortgage wants to be a Dreammate for people who are entering into the home buying process and supporting them throughout that,” Taylor continued. “Which can be obviously a very daunting experience. So, it’s really a campaign that resonates with us in a lot of ways, and it was really fun to shoot with my best friend.”