Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks clapped back at Skip Bayless after the commentator from Fox Sports said the trade for Dejounte Murray was “an indictment” of the star point guard.
Young criticized how athletes like Draymond Green and others referred to themselves as “new media”, which are better than “real/old media”, which Bayless referred to himself in the past. Young responded by saying Bayless was “lame” and calling him “Stiff Bayless”.
Young has been with the Hawks since he was chosen as the fifth pick overall in the 2018 NBA draft, and he played well in the 2021-22 season, averaging 28.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in 76 games while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from deep.
The support for Young last season was just not good enough since he had to face John Collins, one of the best offensive players at Atlanta. He has an average of 16.2 points in 54 games while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep.
Conflict with Bayless
He Lame? “Stiff Bayless” what I call him
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 14, 2022
Back in April, Bayless said LaMelo Ball would be better than Young in the future. He made fun of Young’s height, calling him “Mice Trae”, which derivedspun from his moniker, “Ice Trae”. That was not the first time Bayless went after Young.
In an episode of FS1’s Undisputed, the hosts were discussing the future careers of both Young and Ball when Bayless called Young “overrated” and “worse than [Russell] Westbrook,” referring to Young’s problems with turnovers and outside shooting.
Welcoming Murray
The Hawks acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs last week in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, a 2023 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 pick swap, and 2027 first-round pick.
The Hawks did not do well during the regular season. They finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and had a first-round loss to the Miami Heat in the playoffs. This summer, the team came into the idea that they needed a star player to accompany Young, and they went with Murray.
Bayless Atlanta’s transfer for Murray was something of an “indictment” of Young. The deal was more about getting Young another asset to work with while pursuing an NBA title. Angelo Guinhawa from Clutchpoints said “it is definitely confusing why trading for Murray is an ‘indictment’ of Young, especially since the two have expressed their desire to play alongside each other”.
Murray was a breakout in the fifth season in San Antonio. He had an average of 21.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in 68 games while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent deep shots.
The 25-year-old Murray should be a solid complement to Young as Atlanta’s shooting guard. He is widely considered to have improved the team’s starting rotation, which now includes Collins, De’Andre Hunter, and Clint Capela.
Young welcomed Murray and posted a photo of him standing with the new recruit at the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland. “Let’s get busy my brotha @DejounteMurray”, he said on Twitter.