Trae Young seemingly took a shot at the Hawks

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Trae Young seemingly took a shot at the Hawks

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jul 21, 2026 2:29 PM ET

Trae Young seemingly took a shot at the Atlanta Hawks on Monday following their trade of former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

Young responded to Risacher’s Instagram post after the former No. 1 pick was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team trade. In his comment, the current Washington Wizards guard strongly implied that the Hawks had been holding Risacher back, and that the move would benefit him.

“My boy free! Go fly killa!” Young wrote.

Trae Young commenting on Zaccharie Risacher’s goodbye IG post to Atlanta

“My boy free! Go fly killa!” pic.twitter.com/yy4B9X9hux
— SleeperWizards (@SleeperWizards) July 20, 2026

While Young did not necessarily throw the Hawks organization under the bus when they traded him last season, he also did not hide the fact that he was not necessarily upset to be moved. The organization had become somewhat stagnant, and in Young’s mind, that might have been a factor in Risacher’s lack of development.

After a promising rookie campaign, Risacher regressed across the board last season. He averaged just 9.6 points per game as both his usage and minutes dropped, and even Atlanta fans were not too upset to see him go.

Young still appears to be a believer in Risacher. Time will tell if he was right about the Hawks holding the former No. 1 pick back.

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