The Hawks' losing streak in December is causing a large swarm of reports to descend upon Trae Young, indicating he may be on his way out of Atlanta. Tim McMahon, one of ESPN's most renowned NBA writers, had this to say regarding Young's future with the organization:
The Hawks are looking for ways to get rid of Trae Young, per @BannedMacMahon
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 29, 2025
“The Hawks certainly are indicating that they're looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young. They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that's the case with your face of the… pic.twitter.com/rqVXh0CI2o
While it is certainly true that Young has not been signed to an extension yet, this is in large part due to Onsi Saleh's savvy desire to keep flexibility open in the event of disaster (e.g., a long-term Trae injury), rather than an unwillingness to keep the star around for the long haul.
In fact, ever since taking over GM duties for the Hawks at the end of last season, Onsi Saleh has demonstrated time and time again that he views Young not only as the franchise centerpiece, but as a key factor in their larger decision-making processes.
Onsi Saleh is committed to Trae Young long-term
As was reported earlier this season, the Hawks have never considered trading their franchise's superstar.
While the recent losing streak in Atlanta should no doubt raise some red flags about the roster's ability to make a deep playoff push, trading Young is far from the wisest move that GM Onsi Saleh could make.
Saleh himself has gone on record as stating he involved Young in decisions made over the offseason in order to convince Young to stick around long-term. He's just as committed (if not more) to keeping Trae in Atlanta as the rest of the front office.
The real solution to Atlanta's lack of winning can be found not by replacing Young, but by either getting Kristaps Porzingis back, or trading for a big man that can give the Hawks healthy minutes game after game in the event that The Unicorn isn't well enough to do so himself.
While Young's hefty near $50 million salary isn't ideal, his winning-per-dollar ratio is certainly greater than Porzingis' to start the year. Paying the Latvian sensation $30 million to sit on the bench is far deeper of a thorn in the side of the Hawks than paying Young the big bucks to lead the franchise.
Despite all of the noise and mayhem surrounding the Hawks, bear in mind that their future is bright - their young core of Daniels, Risacher, Johnson, and Okongwu flanked by Young and Alexander-Walker will only get stronger as the Hawks look to add a top pick in next year's draft (thanks to the Pelicans). While we all love winning, it may be wise for Onsi Saleh to play the long game.