Hawks' Trae Young sparks trade speculation among fans after cryptic post

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young can get a conversation started.

In the midst of the Los Angeles Lakers hiring JJ Redick to be their next head coach, Young sent out a post on X that turned plenty of heads.

There were no words. Just an hourglass emoji. But that was enough to open the floodgates of speculation. 

“Can’t wait till you donning that Lakers uniform in a few short weeks!” one fan posted in reaction to the post. 

The Lakers were a popular speculative landing spot in the comments.

Young has a home there. He has also been linked to the Lakers in trade rumors in the past, though that was mostly before his switch from Klutch Sports to Creative Artists Agency (CAA) this offseason.

Young also has three years and $138 million remaining on a five-year, $215.1 million contract. He also has a $48.9 million early termination option for the 2026-27 season.

The Hawks and Lakers also held trade talks at the deadline about Dejounte Murray.

Another fan posted a photoshopped image of Young in a Miami Heat jersey alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

The Heat as division rival make for an unlikely trading spot and landing partner.

However, they are arguably one of the best potential landing spots for the three-time All-Star whose offense game is only belied by his defensive limitations. Miami’s infrastructure built on hard-nosed defense and effort would be a solid protection plan.

Some fans took a much different approach, not buying into the idea that Young was suggesting a potential move to the Lakers this offseason.

One fan called it a “w troll” by the Hawks star. 

Another suggested the Hawks star was implying a potential blockbuster move for the Hawks. One Knicks fan simply wished that he was not coming to their team, showcasing the wide breadth of opinions such a post can create on social media.

Hawks' offseason plans to remain a major talking point

Hawks general manager Landry Fields acknowledged that the fit between Young and Murray has not bore the fruit they had hoped. 

He also said the front office would explore the reasons behind that.

Those comments suggest that everyone is open to trying to make the pairing work. And Young has repeatedly said that he wants to stay in Atlanta. Any deviation from either party could be seen as an indication of the others’ potential intent.

The Hawks have control of the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. But the prevailing sentiment is that they are not yet settled on which way they should go with it.