Insider Says Trae Young Is "Open Minded" To Being Traded From The Atlanta Hawks

Will the Hawks trade star point guard Trae Young before the NBA Trade deadline?

Dec 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) points to teammates during the game against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

We are a month away from the trade deadline and two of the most prominent teams that are going to be mentioned leading up to the date are the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks.

Atlanta is seen as a potential buyer and seller at the deadline. There is uncertainty surrounding Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis and both players are seen as ones who could be on the move, though that is not certain.

While Trae Young has not demanded a trade or said anything about wanting to leave Atlanta publicly, could that sentiment be changing? On ESPN today, insider Marc Spears indicated that Young is more open to being moved now:

"I hear that he is trying to be really careful about this. This is a guy that saw Kevin Durant leave Oklahoma City as a kid and saw how that was and he wants to continue to have a connection with Atlanta so, I don't think that he is asking for a trade, but I don't think that he is telling them not to trade him. I think he is open minded to being moved. He and (Kristaps) Porzingis have not really played together so we don't really know what that looks like but without an extension and with Trae seemingly being blamed for a lot of things, fair or unfair, I think he would be open minded to a new uniform."

Marc Spears on Trae Young:

"I don't think he's telling them not to trade him. I'm hearing he's open minded to being moved" pic.twitter.com/lQ7RUwuhhW

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 5, 2026

Will he be moved?

Dec 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) looks for a play against Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

There is still a lot of uncertainty about whether Young is going to be moved ahead of the deadline and there are a lot of complicating factors. Which team will want to trade for Young, as there are a lot of really good point guards in the league? What kind of return would the Hawks receive? Will the Hawks wait and see for him to get healthy and play with Kristaps Porzingis and the rest of the team? While the Hawks' defense is better with him off the court, they still have games (like Saturday night vs Toronto) where they play terrible defense even when he does not play.

Midseason trades with star players can be difficult to pull off and there is no easy answer for the Hawks with Trae Young. He is a tremendous offensive engine who is a liability on the other end of the court while also being one of the greatest players to ever play for the franchise. It feels like there is more of a chance than ever before that he could be moved, but it is far from certain.