Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young wants to remain just that.
He has said his desire is be a lifetime Hawk on numerous occasions, and his latest effort, while subtle, could be more telling than any remarks he has made in the past. Moreover, the timing could speak volumes about just how embedded Young is with the Hawks and vice versa.
“ATL,” Young posted on X on April 22. “7 Years Down & Last I won’t be in the postseason! ~Love.”
Young, 26, just wrapped Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract.
He is extension-eligible this offseason and has a player option for the final season of the deal, allowing him to be an unrestricted free agent one year early. Those two factors, combined with the Hawks’ reluctance to toe the luxury tax threshold, have led to speculation about his future.
NBA insider Chris Haynes referred to his conversation with Young from earlier this month, noting he has heard nothing to indicate Young wants off the Hawks, as his post might confirm.
Whether Young should want out is one thing; whether he does and will be moved is another.
Trae Young ‘down’ with Hawks’ ‘process’
“I asked him about that, DP. Just about where he’s at with the organization, within his career, and he said he’s in a good spot. He said he knew that there was going to be speculation once the Hawks went to a younger core, had the No. 1 pick. He knew there was going to be speculation about his future,” Haynes said on “The Dan Patrick Show” on April 21.
“He took the you know [Zaccharie Risacher], No. 1 pick, he brought him to his hometown of Oklahoma to show him around and spend some time with him right after Zacch was drafted. Just to get him engaged. And so, he’s somebody who, again, just told to me about a week and a half ago that he’s down with the process. He wants to see this Atlanta Hawks squad turn the corner, and he wants to be a pivotal part in that.”
That conversation notably took place either before or just as news broke that the Hawks fired general manager Landry Fields, replacing him with former Golden State Warriors staffer Onsi Saleh.
That would seemingly be a new wrinkle after Haynes insisted Young, who adapted his games this season, wants to remain in Atlanta as far as he knows.
Haynes added that rival teams are “monitoring” the situation.
“With that being said, there definitely are teams out there who are monitoring his situation and trying to see if there’s going to become a point this off season that he can be had and where he can be moved,” Hayens said.
“Trae is one of the most competitive guys in this league. When he went to that Conference Finals a few years ago played against the [Milwaukee Bucks], he wanted to continue on. He wanted the organization to do things, to make moves to keep the team on a trajectory. Now, they took a little backstep in recent years. He wants to get back to that point.”
That backs the sentiments in Young’s post, which seemingly confirms Haynes’ final note.
“As of now, DP, I can say I haven’t heard anything on Trey’s side that would lead me to believe that he wants out right now.”