Atlanta's star guard is actively seeking a new team, with his agents and the Hawks collaborating on potential destinations.
The Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young are working on a trade that will ship the four-time All-Star out of Atlanta, according to Sham Charania. Young is talking with his agents about finding a suitor.
Charania reports that Young's reps and the Hawks have started talks about where Trae will play next. Early possible destinations include the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks.
A lot of this Trae Young buzz stems from two things. First off, the franchise did not extend him last offseason, and now he's in an important contract year, and because of how many games he has missed this season. He's missed the last five games with a quad injury and nearly two months with a right knee sprain. His time with Atlanta is very close to being over.
The alarming thing about this Trade Young situation is how much drastically better they are playing without him in the lineup. The Hawks are 2-8 with Trae Young, and 15-12 without their 27-year-old star.
Other reports suggested Young's teammates had become a little frustrated with Trae's style of play, and that sentiment has been echoed across the NBA.
The Hawks seem to want to turn the page to the Jalen Johnson era, who is averaging nearly 24 points per game and eight assists.
Trae Young's reps and the Hawks' general manager, Onsi Saleh, have begun positive and collaborative talks, according to Shams.
Just because Trae's time in Atlanta is coming to an end, that doesn't mean he still can't be a franchise icon. While it hasn't worked out how both parties have wanted in the last few seasons, the Hawks were just a couple of wins away from an NBA finals appearance back in 2021. Young is also a four-time All-Star and assists champion.
In 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.3 points per game on 41% shooting and his lowest three-point percentage of his career (30%). It could be the injuries that are bothering Trae, or he may just be checked out of playing in a Hawks uniform and is searching for a fresh start.