Kendrick Perkins Fears a Trae Young–Hawks Split Could Mirror Kevin Durant’s Heartbreaking OKC Exit

Trae Young’s reported Atlanta Hawks exit has been one of the biggest stories in the NBA over the last 24 hours. Although it has been a long time coming, with tensions arising in the offseason when the Hawks did not give their sensational point guard a super max contract, it is still going to be a tough split. Kendrick Perkins even went as far as comparing it to one of the most infamous superstar exits ever.

Whichever team Young ends up joining will surely end up shaking the NBA, but it is a sad ending to a promising chapter. Five years ago, he shockingly led the squad to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, with many assuming they would be a contender in the East for years to come. Unfortunately, neither the Hawks nor Trae have come close to the same amount of success since.

That’s not to say that the four-time All-Star wouldn’t be a huge pickup. He has yet to reach his prime and could potentially be the missing piece for a team that wants to make a run, similar to how Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder and immediately won the championship with the Warriors in 2017. That is, at least, what Perkins thinks.

Perk began by reading out Trae’s lifetime numbers, which were 25-10. “That’s Trae Young’s career numbers. 25 points, 10 assists. Talk about Hall of Fame numbers if you want me to go there. Talk about a guy, his Jersey is going to be in the rafters,” he stated recently.

That’s an insanely confident take considering the Hawks are 17–21 and sitting 10th in the conference.

One thing Perk wants Young to avoid is having a messy exit from Atlanta, similar to the way his former teammate Durant left the Thunder. “I don’t want this breakup to end up like OKC and KD. I need it to be more along the lines of OKC and Russell Westbrook. That’s how they need to part ways.”

Typical Kendrick. He can never let go of Durant spreading his wings elsewhere, despite being a free agent.

The problem with Young is that his rumored destinations include Utah and Washington, DC. That would mean Young going from a possible Play-In contender to the worst team in the league. It is not confirmed, but it is also not a super simple deal to just acquire Trae, either, due to the money he is going to cost a franchise.

“It’s time for a new destination. He’s still a guy that’s knocking at the door of being a superstar, that puts butts in the seats, exciting to watch. Make no mistake about it. We’re talking about a guy who is still scratching the surface of his prime,” added Perkins.

Whether Perk’s Hall of Fame talk is premature or not, one thing is clear, Trae and Atlanta are moving on. The Hawks and their franchise star never fully capitalized on that magical playoff run, and now both sides seem ready to turn the page. Wherever Trae lands, he is still going to sell tickets, put up numbers, and dominate headlines.

The only question is whether his next stop gives him a real chance to win, or just another fresh start that delays the inevitable “what if” conversations about his career.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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