The Atlanta Hawks finally did the thing franchises only do when they’ve accepted that “stuck” is worse than “unknown”: they traded away the face of the era. Trae Young, four-time All-Star, offensive engine, and the lead guard who dragged Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, is gone, sent to the Washington Wizards in a deal that brought back CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
And the first loud national reaction didn’t come from a front office, a coach, or even a rival player. It came from Paul Pierce, who looked at the return and treated it like organizational malpractice.
“For them to give up a 4x All Star who’s an elite PG in the league & got them to the ECF & not get a draft pick out of it?” Pierce said on the “No Fouls Given” platform, escalating into a guarantee that was equal parts sports-radio theater and genuine disbelief: “If Hawks wins a Championship, I will crawl form LA to New York on my knees… They’ll forever be a middling franchise.”
Paul Pierce GOES OFF on the Atlanta Hawks for the return they got for Trae Young 😳
“I’m not shocked what they did. As a mid franchise, a franchise that’s not respected as an organization because of ownership, they never do anything that surprises me. For them to give up a 4x… pic.twitter.com/rJ1Fyj2NIS
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 9, 2026
Pierce’s outrage hinges on a detail that, in modern star trades, usually decides the entire reaction: Atlanta did not receive any reported draft compensation in the exchange. The core transaction is Young for McCollum and Kispert. No first-round pick headline attached, no obvious “future stash” sweetener presented publicly.
That’s why Pierce framed it as an existential warning instead of a basketball discussion. In his view, if you’re moving a player of Young’s caliber, one who is not only a star but a franchise identity, you either get the kind of pick haul that resets your timeline, or you’re essentially admitting you’re swapping a ceiling for a softer landing. He’s arguing that Atlanta picked the landing.
The context matters. Young leaves Atlanta with real historical footprint: franchise records in assists and 3-pointers, and a resume that includes that unforgettable 2021 run through New York and Philadelphia before finally running into Milwaukee. Even if the Hawks’ trajectory after that run has been uneven, this is still the kind of player teams typically monetize with picks, because picks are what let you fail safely later.
So why didn’t the deal look like that?
Because not every star trade is “prime asset for prime package.” Some are shaped by timing, contract leverage, injuries, and the buyer’s willingness to pay. Young’s recent seasons included injuries and that his performance this year had dipped amid limited availability, even while noting his broader standing as one of the league’s premier playmakers. If the Hawks believed the market wasn’t offering the kind of pick-centered package that matched their internal valuation, they may have preferred flexibility and veteran competence, especially if they’re trying to stay respectable around the rest of their roster rather than detonating into a full rebuild.
That’s the counterargument Pierce is ignoring: that Atlanta may be prioritizing optionality. McCollum is a veteran scorer and ball-handler who can stabilize an offense now, while Kispert is a proven spacer who fits modern roster logic almost anywhere. If Atlanta thinks it can pivot again, flip veterans later, retool around remaining core pieces, or keep financial pathways open, then “no picks” isn’t automatically negligence. It’s a bet that the next move matters more than the optics of this one.
Pierce just doesn’t believe the Hawks have earned the benefit of that doubt. His “middling franchise” line isn’t only about Trae; it’s about trust in the organization’s ability to turn a major reset into an actual climb. And his crawl-to-New-York vow wasn’t random either, Pierce has a modern track record of making public guarantees and then paying for them when they go wrong, including a much-publicized 2025 bet that ended with him literally walking miles to work in a bathrobe after a Celtics loss. This is his brand: say it loudly, stake embarrassment on it, dare reality to contradict you.
What makes this moment compelling is that Pierce’s take captures the emotional truth of Hawks fandom, even if it oversimplifies the economics. Atlanta didn’t just trade a point guard. It traded the one player who made the franchise feel nationally relevant on demand. When you move that guy and the receipt doesn’t include draft capital, you invite the sharpest question possible: what exactly are you building toward?
For Washington, the answer is clear: star power and a new identity. For Atlanta, it’s still forming. Pierce is betting it never will.
