Hawks' Trae Young stirs fans with cryptic post amid new trade rumor

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young was one of several players the Utah Jazz hoped to land in an attempt to lure Paul George in free agency, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. 

George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. But the rumor continues the trend of speculation that the Hawks could explore their trade options for Young. Whether or not the Jazz ever offered a package comparable to what the New Orleans Pelicans did for Dejounte Murray is unclear.

Still, the events of the offseason were enough for fans to run wild with speculation after Young dropped a cryptic post in the evening hours.

“Traded to warriors?” one fan posted on X in the replies.

The Warriors parted ways with Klay Thompson, who signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Still, the Warriors have not been among the teams linked to Young, who is said to prefer the Lakers, Pelicans, or San Antonio Spurs. They still have Stephen Curry.

“Laker wow,” a different fan said.

“Welcome to the Suns Trae!!!” yet another fan said.

Like Golden State, Phoenix was not among the teams linked to Young as a potential landing spot in the rumor mill. With all of those teams addressing their needs for point guards, at least for now, Young would seem destined to stay put.

Not everyone believed Young’s message was about him being traded, though.

Young and Murray maintained that their personal relationship was fine amid trade speculation earlier this year. 

Some fans suggested he could be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers or even the division rival Miami Heat. But the overwhelming sentiment from those to react was that it was foreshadowing for the three-time All-Star being traded.

There could even be a new suitor at the table.

Rival eyed Hawks’ Trae Young in trade to lure $212M star in free agency: Report

“The Jazz … were looking into trading for Bridges, held conversations with Atlanta about both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young, sources said, and were working to assemble a group around [Lauri] Markkanen that could have possibly drawn George’s eye,” Fischer wrote on June 30.

Young is entering Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract.

He has a $43 million cap hit in 2024-25 and a $48.9 million player option for the final season in 2026-27. He has also been adamant that he wants to win and stay with the Hawks.

It is unclear if the Jazz still have interest in a trade for Young, which would add a table-setter for Markkanen. It would also set them up to be an attractive destination for a different star looking to switch teams at the deadline or next offseason. 

Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, and Brandon Ingram could all be free agents next summer.