Trae Young's Future With The Hawks Is 'Murky'

In the aftermath of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the Atlanta Hawks are working to maximize their roster after trading for several young players. But according to Chris Haynes, even Trae's future is up in the air after years of subpar play and a growing desire to play winning basketball.

"[Trae Young] is a fierce competitor, he wants to win. The direction. of the Hawks is very unique considering they know where he stands and what he wants to accomplish."

Haynes also confirmed that the Hawks had a trade in place that would have sent Young to the Spurs before it fell apart at the last minute.

"Before the San Antonio Spurs made a move to De'Aaron Fox, they were considering De'Aaron and Trae Young," said Young. "But with the way that the Spurs are set up right now, they're not set up to try and win games and contend now. So there was never really a hurry to bring in an established point guard into the next space. But De'Aaron Fox kind of fell in their lap and he picked them as the team he wanted to play with. But Trae Young was on the Spurs' radar."

The Hawks were busy at the deadline this year. In a series of moves, they traded De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, Terance Mann, Nah’Shon ‘Bones’ Hyland, and multiple picks.

By all accounts, it appears the Hawks are rebuilding toward the future by acquiring young talent and stockpiling draft capital for the draft. For Young, who turned 26 in September, he's past the stage where he wants to lead a rebuild.

With just one Conference Finals appearance in his career, Trae is itching for playoff success and it's looking increasingly unlikely that he'll find it on the Hawks. But with three years and $136 million left on his contract, Young will have to be traded if he wants to leave Atlanta anytime soon.

This season, with averages of 23.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game on 40.6% shooting, Young has been one of the best guards in the league and he's been the only one keeping the Hawks relevant. But after years of being "the man" for the Hawks, Young is ready to move on and try his luck in a better situation.

With the Spurs and Lakers now out of the running, it leaves the market a complete mystery for Trae. Arguably his biggest connection now is with the Miami Heat. After striking out on multiple high-profile targets, the Heat will be looking to make improvements and Young is the kind of offensive point guard who can raise their ceiling.

Another potential team is the New Orleans Pelicans. After trading Brandon Ingram, the Pels can use more firepower and Trae is the perfect fit next to Zion with his shooting, ball handling, and playmaking in the backcourt.

With trade season officially over now, Young will be on the Hawks for at least the next few months but all bets are off in the summer when they will be back on the trade market looking for deals. Young hasn't yet asked for a trade but the demand could come soon if the Hawks don't start to show some improvement.