NBA insider Ryen Russillo revealed Tuesday while on his YouTube podcast that an unnamed league executive recently told him that “guys hate playing with” Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young.
“I don’t even know if anybody’s even debating this thing anymore,” Russillo said at the 17:40 mark. “So, I asked somebody in the NBA — we’ll do this every week on this — I said: ‘Just give me a kind of breakdown of the Trae Young trade market.’”
“So, quote, ‘It’s hard to think of a team that’s trying to win this season that Trae would help, especially once you factor in what that team would be losing from the players they would have to send back as matching salary. He doesn’t defend. He doesn’t rebound. Guys hate playing with him.’”
Trae Young Has Underperformed With Hawks
In 76 games (all starts) with the Hawks last season, Young averaged 24.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, a career high and NBA-leading 11.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 36 minutes per contest.
His 200 assists in the fourth quarter were the most since John Stockton in 1996-97.
Young, however, struggled to connect on several of his shots last season.
The four-time All-Star shot a career-low 51.1% from the field and just 34% from deep. His 355 turnovers led all players in the league as well.
He also led the league in turnovers in 2021-22 (303) and 2022-23 (300).
Through 10 appearances this campaign, Young is averaging only 19.3 points per game, his fewest since his rookie season (19.1 PPG), on 41.5% shooting from the floor and a career-worst 30.5% from 3-point range.
After spending all eight of his NBA seasons with the Hawks, now is the perfect time for Young to seek a trade. The former first-rounder could potentially prove critics wrong by excelling elsewhere.
Atlanta Considering Trae Young Trade
Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in November, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive suggested that the Hawks aren’t opposed to the idea of trading Young, stating, “Atlanta is good enough to keep Trae and be good and make the playoffs. But with the [New Orleans’ Pelicans 2026 first-round] pick and Jalen [Johnson], Dyson [Daniels], and Zaccharie [Risacher], they’ll at least pick up the phone and listen when called.”
Russillo’s update also comes just two days after league insider Marc Stein said it’s “hard to imagine” the Hawks finding a way to keep Young on the roster if they pursue a trade for Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis.
Amid injuries and a disappointing 15-19 record, Stein noted that “there is a growing belief leaguewide that the Hawks are more open to trading [Young] away than they’ve ever been.”
However, Young’s $48.96 million player option could prevent any potential trade deal.
Young is also eligible for a four-year, $229 million max extension. If a new deal isn’t reached and the 27-year-old declines his option, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
One thing Atlanta doesn’t seem to want is Young opting in.
“What happens to their payroll if no such trade materializes and Young winds up exercising that option?” Stein wrote. “Can the Hawks dare to find out by trading for Davis this winter without Young exiting at the same time? Hard to imagine that.”
Either way, Young’s days in Atlanta could be numbered.
