Hawks receive ominous Trae Young prediction after insider's comments

Trae Young will become the 10th Atlanta Hawks player to make at least four All-Star appearances this year. It has unfortunately taken someone to bow out for Young to make it, but his stature in Hawks lore continues to grow.

However, the organization’s current course has left doubt that Young is long for the Hawks.

“The Atlanta Hawks had an extremely underwhelming trade deadline for a team that recently lost its second-best player in Jalen Johnson for the season and doesn't own its first-round pick in the 2025 draft,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote on February 10. “Trading away De'Andre Hunter, who was having the best season of his career and was under contract for two additional years wasn’t exactly a win-now move for a Hawks team that needs to be wary of Trae Young's happiness.

“Young can choose to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Don't be surprised if he pushes for a trade this summer, something the Hawks will be forced to do instead of losing him for nothing.”

NBA TV’s Chris Haynes suggested the Hawks trade deadline deals that sent out Bogdan Bogdanovic (Los Angeles Clippers) and De’Andre Hunter (Cleveland Cavaliers) were antithetical to Young’s stance on winning.

“That guy is a fierce competitor. He wants to win. I’m saying, he wants to win,” Haynes said during NBA TV’s trade deadline special on February 6. “So the direction of the Hawks is very – I would say very unique considering they know where he stands and what he wants to accomplish.”

Swartz pointed to Haynes’ assessment in his argument.

“Consider this a polite way of Haynes saying Young isn't happy with Atlanta's lack of additions at the deadline,” Swartz wrote.

Young shared pictures of himself with Caris LeVert and Georges Niang on social media. Both players, whom the Hawks received in those deals, have contributed significantly to their 3-0 mark post-deadline. Young has long rejected trade speculation. 

It has mostly been about the Hawks trading him, though. 

Trae Young trade speculation will pick up this offseason

Haynes also reported that the San Antonio Spurs showed renewed interest in Young before acquiring De’Aaron Fox from the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline. Young has also said that he wants to win now. 

He acknowledged that organizations sometimes go through retooling periods. 

He also said he is not at that point of his career anymore having reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 and struggling to make the playoffs since then.

“Everybody knows, obviously, I want to be in Atlanta. When I was drafted, that’s where I wanted to spend my whole career. But at the same time, I want to win. So if we’re not on the same page wanting to win now...,” Young said on the “From The Point” podcast on April 30. 

“There’s times teams want to take their time, be slow with winning, their process. It’s just, I’m not there anymore. I want to win, and I’ve always been that way, so. I don’t feel like I have very much time to waste. I just want to continue to play at a high level, and I feel like I can do that: play at a high level and win.”

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley likewise lambasted the Hawks for their trade deadline moves.

The Hawks are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings entering play on February 12.

They are 4.0 games out of the No. 4 seed and the No. 10 seed, underscoring how tight the playoff race is through roughly 65% of the regular season.

Will another trip to the Play-In Tournament be enough to keep Young satisfied? Young will be extension-eligible this offseason. He also has a player option for 2026-27. While he may deserve the max, the Hawks may not feel they are best-suited to pay him given how far they are from contention.

There is one game left (against the New York Knicks) before the All-Star break.

The 27-game sprint after the break could determine a lot more than whether or not the Hawks will make or even have a shot at this postseason.