Everyone – fans, analysts, former players – has doubted Trae Young’s ability to lead a winning team, but Atlanta Hawks fans know the truth: he’s never been given the proper opportunity.
In the eighth year of his career, the team finally gave Young a roster with playoff hopes. Atlanta wasn’t a clear contender by any means, but the star point guard finally had the tools to prove himself as a premier offensive engine. With two dynamic scorers in Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis, elite perimeter defenders and shooters, and a competent head coach, the sky was the limit for this Hawks squad.
Unfortunately, life didn’t pan out this way. Young was sidelined in just the fifth game of the season with a right knee sprain that held him out for 22 games. Upon his return, Porzingis was in the midst of his own extended absence for health reasons. The two stars have played just three games together out of Atlanta’s 38 games – just 7% of the season so far.
As you would expect, the Hawks floundered relative to preseason expectations. The team sits 10th in the East, a far cry from their projected 4th-place finish. Perhaps unexpectedly, Atlanta reacted harshly to this lack of success, publicly posting both Young and Porzingis on the trade block.
Young can still prove himself in Atlanta – but the clock is ticking
By all accounts, the Hawks are taking their time in the trade market; I wouldn’t expect a move until about January 25th. This gives Young at least nine games to prove himself to the franchise. (Assuming he is healthy, as he is currently questionable for Wednesday night’s game against New Orleans with a right quad contusion. Update: Young was ruled out for Atlanta's Wednesday night matchup.)
The problem with trading Young is that there isn’t an attractive trade package out there for the Hawks. The best offer suggested by the media as of today includes CJ McCollum, Malaki Branham, and AJ Johnson. McCollum and Branham are on expiring deals, and neither is particularly effective at this point in their careers. While Johnson is an exciting player, he’s far from a proven commodity. This means that the only real benefit Atlanta could get from this trade is clearing their books, but Young’s deal will expire in 2027 at the latest.
Because of how bad the trade proposals for Young have been, it isn’t a guarantee he will be moved quite yet. After all, he is clearly the best player involved in the above trade package. If Young can be the player we all know he can be (and if he can lead Atlanta to team success), the Hawks could opt to hold onto their star player. We’ve seen this happen before with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dangled in trade conversations for each of the last three seasons.
For Young to keep his spot in Atlanta, however, he will need to make a statement. Can he prove himself once and for all, or is he bound to be another disappointing Hawks star in an underwhelming era of basketball for the city? He has three weeks to prove the former theory before the latter outcome becomes final.