Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has been the subject of trade rumors for a few years now. Nothing has ever come to fruition, though, and he has remained with the NBA team that drafted him back in 2018.
But the chatter is becoming louder early in the 2025-26 season than ever before, and for good reason. Below, we take a look at the three reasons why the Hawks should trade Trae Young as soon as possible:
NBA Rumors: 3 Reasons Hawks Should Trade Trae Young
Hawks Succeeding Without Young In The Lineup
Young started the first four games of the season before suffering a knee injury on October 29th. The Hawks were 1-3 in those contests, and were outscored by an average of nearly 9 points per game.
Since he’s been out of the lineup, though, they’ve been far more successful. They are 8-2 over their last 10 (including the game in which Young was injured and played just 6 minutes), and are currently riding a five-game winning streak.
The offense has been clicking, but the real difference is on the defensive end. During one eight-game stretch without Trae Young, the Hawks allowed just 107.7 points per, which would be the second-best mark in the NBA if done over the entire first month of the season. They’ve regressed in that regard by giving up 122 points in each of the last two contests, but still came out with victories in both.
Lack Of Success Since 2018
It is becoming increasingly clear that Atlanta has hit its ceiling with Trae Young as their best player. Since he came into the league in 2018, the Hawks have made the playoffs just three times. They did have an impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, but the other two postseason appearances resulted in first round exits.
Young has been the most important player on the team essentially the entire time. Their offense routinely ranks in the top-6 in terms of points scored, but the defense comes in near the bottom every year. That is essentially the story of Young’s skill set, and the Hawks should be looking for ways to improve the defense. The first step would be trading arguably the biggest liability on that end of the floor.
Young’s Current Trade Value
While his scoring and efficiency dipped a bit last season, Young still had some impressive numbers in 2024-25. His assist per game average, which has steadily increased throughout the years, shot all the way up to 11.6. That was tops in the NBA, which paired well with his 24.2 points per game.
Those numbers are still attractive to teams around the league, which could give the Hawks traction in potential trade negotiations. If they want to maximize the value of returns for their star player, they should look to deal him as soon as possible. If Young returns from injury and both his stats and Atlanta’s overall performance regress, his trade value may begin to drop.
