Trae Young Holds 'Love and Respect' For Knicks Despite Christmas Snub

The MSG villain showed some love to his rivals.

It's probably safe to say that Trae Young is one of the names furthest removed from the New York Knicks' Christmas card list.

Young has been a metropolitan villain since his Atlanta Hawks served as the Knicks' opponent in the opening round of the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs. Behind Young's 29.2-point, 9.8-assist effort over five games, the Hawks rolled to a series victory, with the Madison Square Garden faithful taking its anger out on the rising talent. Young further antagonized Knicks fans when he responded to the NBA's 2022 Christmas Day slate with a series of negative emojis, joining the many fans who took issue with the Knicks' involvement in the holiday festivities against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Atlanta's superstar joined Sports Illustrated's Ashley Nicole Moss to partake in a friendly "This, That, or The Other" conversation. The second of three rounds centered upon the Christmas snub, as Moss asked Young which of four teams, given the choice of the Knicks, 76ers, Boston Celtics, or Milwaukee Bucks, his Hawks should replace on Dec. 25. 

Young doesn't hesitate to hypothetically sub the Knicks with the Hawks, much to the playful chagrin of Moss, who admits to her New York fandom.

"I think it would be a better matchup, us versus the Sixers," Young frankly declares. 

Young's feelings perhaps stem from the vengeful lump of coal the Knicks placed in his stocking last holiday season: behind a 25-point effort from Julius Randle, New York opened the Christmas festivities with a 101-87 victory over the Hawks, their first yuletide triumph since 2012. That quantum of revenge, however, came without Young in the Atlanta lineup.

Though there appears to be no love lost between Young and the Knicks, he does get a chance to bestow some tidings of comfort and joy in the third and final round: given a choice between having RJ Barrett or Julius Randle joining him in Atlanta, Young refers both to them as "my guys" but opts for the latter because of their Texas connection.

Moss caps things off by offering Young the decision of playing for the Knicks or overseas. Like Lloyd Christmas before them, Knicks fans are being told that there's a chance.

"Play for the Knicks," Young chooses without hesitation. "Anybody that knows me, that's close in that organization, they know that I have nothing but love and respect for them. But, when we play them, I'm trying to beat them and destroy them. That's just how the game is."

Young's next opportunity to do so lands on Nov. 2, the first of four meetings between the Knicks and Hawks this season. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags