When Trae Young helped the Atlanta Hawks reach the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, they looked like future title contenders. However, the last three seasons have brought nothing but disappointment for Atlanta fans. Forget being championship contenders, they do not even reach the playoffs anymore. Therefore, rumors about Young and the Hawks parting their ways have gathered steam this offseason.
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Jeff Teague, who spent his first seven seasons with the Hawks, doesn’t believe that the Hawks want to get rid of Ice Trae despite the team’s derelict condition. Teague addressed the 3x All-Star’s situation with the franchise on his Club 520 podcast.
The 2021 NBA Champion emphasized the role of Hawks’ Head coaches since Young’s arrival to the franchise in 2018. As per Teague, coach Nate McMillan brought the best out of the Hawks guard in 2021, which helped them make the Conference Finals.
While the Hawks have been a sub-par squad since then, Young has further expanded his offensive arsenal. Teague implied that the franchise hasn’t provided him the required support needed to compete in the NBA since the 2021 ECF appearance.
However, Teague’s co-host DJ Wells insisted that the Hawks would go nowhere unless they trade Young and rebuild without him. But Teague disagreed with him. He opined that the franchise doesn’t have a face to build around yet.
Ice Trae is too valuable to let go because he is still one of the best offensive players in the league. The former Hawks guard argued that the fanbase would lose complete interest in the team if the franchise shipped off their favorite player, which would affect them financially.
“Bro, you can’t trade Trae Young. You got to still put butts in the seat. He’s must see TV, when he hoop, he puts on a show. He get 40, 28, and 11. Atlanta loves him, the fans like him,” Teague said.
Additionally, Teague doesn’t see the Hawks currently getting enough return for a superstar-caliber player like Young. What would be the point of shipping off a player they have nurtured for the past seven seasons without getting someone who can’t contribute similarly?
Clearly, Teague was on point about Young’s stature in the league and in the city of Atlanta. But the ATL guard has dropped hints that he may be done with the Hawks.
The Trae Young situation in Atlanta is tricky
During the early 2024 free agency, news about Young leaving the franchise became ripe. On X, the 25-year-old liked a post that hailed the Dallas Mavericks’ terrific personnel moves around their superstar Luka Doncic in the recent years. It implied that the elite guard was unsatisfied with how the Hawks have built the squad around him.
Apart from that, in May, Young uploaded a photo from his childhood days where he was in Spurs jersey with his mother. Fans speculated that it hints at a potential team-up with their franchise face Victor Wembanyama in the near future. However, the rumor couldn’t gather much traction.
As someone who was raised in Pampa, Texas, it was natural that he rooted for a Texan franchise. Additionally, the rumor mill has gone cold around Trae Young lately, which means that both the Hawks and their current face would stick with each other for the time being. But a sticky start to the 2024-25 season can change the situation dramatically.
