Does Trae Young prefer to be traded? A recent report indicates that might be the case.
The Atlanta Hawks are entering an important stretch of their 2025–26 season, and trade speculation surrounding Trae Young continues to intensify as the calendar turns toward the heart of the year. Young is set to miss his fifth straight game with a quad injury as Atlanta looks to salvage its season series against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, a matchup that carries added weight given the team’s uneven start and growing uncertainty around its long-term direction.
Just a few hours before tip-off against the Raptors, a report by ESPN's Marc J. Spears revealed that Trae Young is also open to the Hawks trading him if there is a good fit for the four-time All-Star point guard. The Hawks have played better without Young this season, which only further accelerates the rumors.
Young’s absence has only amplified the conversation. The Hawks have shown improved ball movement and defensive consistency in recent games without their franchise guard, a development that has caught the attention of league observers.
While that stretch is not necessarily indicative of a higher ceiling without Young, it has complicated the narrative around his on-court value relative to the team’s overall construction and raised legitimate questions about how sustainable the current model is.
He has appeared in just 10 games this season for the Hawks, and is averaging 19.3 points per game on 41% shooting.
Despite a small sample size, Trae Young's three-point percentage is also the lowest in his career (30%). It's becoming clear in Atlanta that there is some disconnect between Young and the rest of the Hawks.
In Young's absence, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson have been the focal point of the Hawks' offense. The Hawks are 2-8 in games Young has played, and 15-12 without him
The Hawks are 17-20 overall, and just 2-8 in the team's last 10 games. However, before Young injured his quad, Atlanta was 0-5 since his return to the lineup following a right knee sprain, which kept him out for a couple of months. Atlanta sits in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, which the team has become rather familiar with over the past three seasons, but if Young is dealt by the mid-February deadline, the Hawks may start playing inspiring basketball that can lead to more wins.
The next few weeks will be filled with several reports surrounding these Trae Young comments, and it will be interesting to see what Hawks' GM Onsi Saleh ultimately decides to do with Atlanta's star guard.