Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young sends message to NBA Finals Game 3 standout

The excitement of these NBA playoffs has not been lost on Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.

While the Hawks have not taken the floor since April 24, Young has been following the action closely this postseason, even popping out to Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles where he owns a residence.

Young has commentated on several series and given shoutouts to multiple players along the way, and Denver Nuggets rookie Christian Braun.

“YEAAAAAAHH CB,” Young tweeted on June 7. “Have a night.”

Braun, 22, scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in Denver’s Game 3 win over the Miami Heat adding four rebounds, one assist, and one steal for good measure. It was a breakout game for Braun whose previous high was nine points in Game 3 of the Nuggets’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The No. 21 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft came up big in this one, scoring 11 of his points in the second half.

But the most impressive thing was his willingness to attack.

Young has sent shoutouts to Nuggets guard Bruce Brown, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and is friends with Michael Porter Jr. who is mired in a bit of a slump with back-to-back games of five or fewer points.

The Hawks star has also shown love to the other side, sending a message to Heat star Jimmy Butler and his teammate Caleb Martin who has enjoyed a breakout this postseason.

Trae Young shares cryptic video amid uncertain future with Atlanta Hawks

In the latest bout of trying to read the tea leaves, Young’s social media habits have come under scrutiny with word that he scrubbed his Instagram profile of all Hawks references reaching the masses. It was later pointed out that he a) did it weeks prior to the fuss and b) does this every offseason.

Young shared an interesting video reel to that profile on June 7 that featured clips of himself, in uniform captioned “How do you want to be remembered”.

The second episode of Young’s podcast is expected to drop sometime this week and a vague at best video is a great way to start a conversation. It also must be noted that Young only shared the video, he did not make it.

It’s just another layer of the story for the Hawks star who started his podcast to control his narrative and for the Hawks who are trying to define themselves.

Neither side has said they want a separation.

Still, Young’s name has been floated in trade rumors since the summer when he was pegged as the next young star who could look for a way out of his current situation. Young is heading into the second year of a five-year, $215 million contract meaning there is no rush for the Hawks to do anything but add to the roster around him unless he requests out.

The Hawks have financial concerns looming and Young’s activity has left the mind to wander at times of late. But all signs from the Hawks continue to point to building around Young rather than removing him from the equation.