Trading Trae Young Would Be The Best Thing To Happen To The Atlanta Hawks

Even though Young is one of the best players to ever wear a Hawks jersey, trading him is the right move for the future of the franchise.

Dec 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks injured player Trae Young (center in hoodie) on the bench during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

By now, the writing is on the wall for Trae Young's future in Atlanta and the clock is ticking.

ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed as much in a recent report that stated Young and his representatives are working with the Hawks to find a trade out of Atlanta.

The Hawks and Young's agents have maintained positive dialogue on his future ever since the franchise elected not to offer a contract extension last summer ahead of his 2026 player option. Now the sides are working together on a trade out of Atlanta. https://t.co/IWehy7ZIJN

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 5, 2026

To be clear, it doesn't mean that a trade will happen tomorrow or next week. The trade deadline is just under a month away, and things tend to ramp up towards the deadline. However, once the announcement of trade exploration is made, it usually doesn't end without a deal getting done. If a deal does get completed, it means that Young's eight-year run as the franchise player for the Atlanta Hawks will come to an end.

This is the perfect time for both sides to go their separate ways.

Trae Young Deserves a Fresh Start

Jun 20, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles past Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) during the fourth quarter in game seven of the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Young's time with the franchise delivered some of its highest highs. He famously led the franchise to its second Eastern Conference Finals berth and its first since the 2014-15 season. Despite making the postseason as a mere No. 5 seed, that Hawks team played above their seeding largely due to Young's incredible abilities as a scorer and passer. That run saw them decisively handle the fourth-seeded New York Knicks in the first round and then pull off one of the biggest upsets of the 2010s by beating the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. They also looked competitive against the Milwaukee Bucks, who went on to win the Finals that season, by taking them to six games. If Young didn't miss Games 4 and 5 with a bone bruise that he suffered in Game 3, there is a possibility that he could have taken Atlanta to its first Finals berth. It is easily one of the best seasons in franchise history, and I'd argue it is the best because of how improbable their postseason success was.

His poor play in 2025-26 also shouldn't erase what he gave the Hawks at his best. Simply put, Trae Young is the best passer ever to put on a Hawks jersey. He's the Hawks' career assists leader and single-season assists leader, the latter of which he achieved last season. After a promising rookie season, Young averaged 29.6 points and 9.3 assists a game the very next year. He made the All-Star team as a sophomore, which is incredibly impressive. Following this, he averaged 24+ points and 9+ assists a game for the next six seasons. Despite the guard position being incredibly stacked throughout his time in the NBA, he made an All-NBA Third Team and got four All-Star nods.

Young did it in the postseason, too. Most notably, his 2020-21 playoff statistics illustrate how vital he was to the Hawks' success, averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 assists on 41.8/31.3/86.6 splits over sixteen games. The efficiency wasn't always there, but he came through for the Hawks that season. He set the tone of the Knicks series with 32 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and the game-winning shot. When the Hawks needed him in Game 5 against the 76ers to take control of the series, he delivered 39 points and 7 assists. In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bucks, he was unguardable against the best team in the world with 48 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. There is a real possibility that the Hawks might go years without finding a player who rose to the occasion as much as Young did during that season.

For all that he's done for the franchise, Young's current reputation should be a lot better. It likely won't improve while he's still on the Hawks, and he is just 27 years old. He may not be in a winning situation, but there is time for him to rewrite his legacy in a different role on a new team. Young deserves the chance to do so.

The Fall Off For Trae Has Been Dramatic

Dec 27, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is fouled by New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

However, that past history shouldn't force the Hawks into making an ill-advised decision. The 2025-26 version of Young is nowhere close to what he gave Atlanta at his peak.

This season, Young is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds on 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting splits. Most of these numbers are at the lowest point they've been since his rookie season. The team's offense is still 9.2 points better per 100 possessions when he's on the court, which ranks in the 95th percentile among all guards per Cleaning the Glass. However, they are 15 points per 100 possessions better on defense when he sits. That ranks in the 0th - yes, 0th - percentile among all guards. It is now at a point where his defense is too bad to overcome what he is giving Atlanta on offense.

His offensive game is starting to slow down in alarming ways. Young's 3P% peaked at 39% in 2021-22 and had a smaller peak in 2023-24 when he shot 38% from deep. Outside of those seasons, he has been a below-average shooter from range and is currently shooting a career-worst 32% from beyond the arc. In the modern NBA, it's extremely hard to have a starting point guard who can't be a reliable shooter from deep. Furthermore, Young's size automatically caps how effective he can be driving to the rim, and he's always been a high-turnover player due to his ball dominance. Those three factors don't bode well for how his game will age. He still draws fouls at an extremely high rate, but that isn't a sustainable way of generating offense over time.

The playoff history has also been more checkered since 2020-21. That season marks the only time they ever made it past the first round. The very next year, the Miami Heat showed Young's shortcomings on both sides of the ball and picked on him relentlessly through a brutal first-round loss for the Hawks. Against the Celtics, Young averaged 29.2 points and 10.2 assists to give Atlanta a fighting chance in that series. Even so, he led the NBA playoffs in field goal attempts to do it and got torched on defense throughout the series.

The Hawks' Roster Is Getting Expensive

Dec 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10), guard Trae Young (11) and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) talk to the referee after a call during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Right now, Young's 5-year, $215,159,700 contract has two years remaining on it. He's under contract for this year, and then he has a player option next season of $48.96 million. Since Young is almost certainly going to opt-in due to the lack of free agency suitors willing to pay him that, the Hawks do not have the cap space to shoulder that burden when his play has declined so drastically. They have 17 players on the roster, and seven are making over 10 million a season. Of those seven, four (not including Young) are on long-term deals. Those four - Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Zaccharie Risacher - are all under contract for the next three seasons at minimum. That's without including Dyson Daniels, who has a new deal of $25 million per year kicking in next season. Devoting almost 30% of their cap towards a player who is on the decline and isn't raising the team's postseason ceiling is not tenable in the modern NBA. The Hawks are also right under the luxury tax line, and they won't supersede it for a team that isn't a clear contender in the Eastern Conference. Therefore, there's a financial incentive to get Young's situation resolved in a trade.

Right now, it seems that the most likely suitor for Young's services is the Washington Wizards. NBA insider Marc Stein confirmed this in a recent report, saying that the Wizards would be interested in getting Young in exchange for point guard CJ McCollum's expiring contract.

The Wizards have emerged as a legitimate potential trade destination for Atlanta's Trae Young, @TheSteinLine has learned, in a deal construction centered around CJ McCollum's expiring contract.

More to come here: https://t.co/i9CobUR55T pic.twitter.com/k9xOa2DZas

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 5, 2026

If the Hawks get back McCollum and some other salary to make the deal work, they'd be off McCollum's deal after the season ends, and they'd be under no obligation to re-sign him. Atlanta would have a viable guard to soak up some of Young's minutes and pair with Jalen Johnson to give the Hawks a puncher's chance of making the postseason. The team wouldn't have a very high ceiling, and even this version of Young is capable of swinging a single postseason game. However, the long-term financial implications of this move make a ton of sense.

A Young Core Is On the Horizon

Jan 5, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) makes a no look pass in front of Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murraly-Boyles )12) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The future for Atlanta is more complicated without Young, but that isn't a bad thing. Jalen Johnson has largely operated as the #1 option in Young's absence due to injury, and he's blossomed into an All-Star candidate who's making a case for an All-NBA team. The Hawks already have two bona-fide starting centers in Onyeka Okongwu, who's under contract, and veteran Kristaps Porzingis. General manager Onsi Saleh pulled off a coup by getting versatile wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a sign-and-trade and fleecing the Pelicans for their 2026 1st-round pick. Young players like Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher could develop further into great starters.

If they land a top-three pick due to the Pelicans' poor record, the Hawks will also be able to add one of Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, or AJ Dybantsa to a very young roster. That gives them a floor as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference while also setting them up for long-term success. They also control most of their future first-round picks to further add to the roster. The time has never been better for the Hawks to make a transition into a new era of their franchise

It is never easy to say goodbye to a franchise icon like Young. However, both sides need to move on. The zenith of his tenure in Atlanta will never be forgotten and he brought the team back to respectability. It's time for the team to built off the blueprint he laid and make moves that will open a serious contention window. They may not succeed, but now is the perfect time to try.