Trae Young’s tenure with the Hawks could be reaching its final weeks.
Atlanta seems to be “looking for the exit ramp” with its polarizing star and an end to that relationship “could be near,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said Monday during an episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast.
“The Hawks certainly are indicating that they’re looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young,” MacMahon said, according to Bleacher Report. “They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case with your face of the franchise, that’s a pretty clear message that the end could be near.”
Young, in his eighth year with the Hawks, has averaged 19.3 points per game — his fewest since his rookie campaign in 2018-19 — and added 8.9 assists.
He has only appeared in 10 of Atlanta’s 33 games due to an MCL sprain sustained in the fifth game of the season against the Nets, but the Hawks have gone winless since their star returned.
“It’s not going to be easy,” MacMahon said of trading Young. “There’s not going to be some wide array of teams raising their hand and trying to get in on the bidding, and I’m not sure if you’re even gonna be able to make a trade that’s going to bring value in return.”
It’d mark a seismic shift for a franchise that has built around Young ever since selecting the former Oklahoma star No. 5 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
He signed a five-year, $215 million extension in August 2021 and has made the All-Star Game in four of eight seasons, but the Hawks haven’t won a playoff series since advancing to the Eastern Conference finals — and losing to the Bucks — in the months before Young’s extension.
That run included a five-game series win over the Knicks in the opening round in which Young frequently taunted the MSG crowd.
Young has a player option worth nearly $49 million for the 2026-27 season.
During the Hawks’ game against the Knicks on Saturday, MSG Network analyst Alan Hahn ripped Young for his effort when he tumbled to the court after getting screened and Jalen Brunson got wide open for a 3-pointer.
“Is there any hustle, any effort there whatsoever?” Hahn asked on the broadcast. “That’s the face of your franchise.”
But that, if the Hawks can orchestrate a deal before Feb. 5, might not be the case for much longer.
