The Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young are no longer operating in the usual NBA gray zone of denials, vague quotes, and “we’ll see what happens.” According to Shams Charania, the two sides have moved into something far more direct, and far more uncommon for a franchise star: a collaborative trade process.
“Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young and his agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are working with the franchise on a trade, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported. “Young’s reps and the Hawks have started collaborative talks over the last week on finding a resolution.”
The key word is “collaborative.” In a league where trade leaks usually read like leverage plays, this framing suggests a managed separation: the Hawks attempting to regain control of a stalled trajectory, and Young’s camp aiming to steer him toward a situation that fits his prime. The Hawks and Young are “mutually exploring trade options,” with talks accelerating after Atlanta opted not to offer Young a contract extension last offseason.
This season has provided the practical catalyst. Young, 27, has missed 28 of Atlanta’s first 38 games due to a quad contusion, and his per-game numbers have dipped to career lows: 19.3 points and 8.9 assists.
The Hawks are 2–8 in games Young has played and 15–13 without him, with Jalen Johnson expanding his role in Young’s absence.
None of this erases what Young has meant to the franchise. He’s spent his entire career in Atlanta after being drafted in 2018 and owns the Hawks’ franchise records for assists and 3-pointers made.
He helped power the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals and made All-NBA (third team) in 2021–22. The résumé isn’t the question. The question is whether Atlanta still believes the most viable way forward is through Young, or whether the organization’s clearest next step is to re-center the roster around a different timeline.
As the league turns toward trade season and the February 5 deadline, the reporting is already sketching potential lanes. The Washington Wizards have emerged as a possible destination as discussions intensify. For now, the biggest development isn’t the list of teams. It’s the posture: a star guard and a franchise acknowledging, through action, that the relationship may need a reset, and trying to engineer it in a way that doesn’t implode into public hostility.
