Trae Young didn’t exactly hide how he felt about his run with the Atlanta Hawks.
On a recent podcast appearance with Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr., Young opened up about Atlanta, the new-look Washington Wizards, and the possibility of a reunion with the Hawks down the line. But the line that really got people talking was his blunt explanation for why things never fully clicked in Atlanta:
"I don’t know if I’ve ever had a teammate that can draw double teams."
That comment put a spotlight on the bigger question hanging over Young’s time with the Hawks: was he really missing the right help, or was that just a convenient way to frame an underwhelming stretch?
The answer, at least based on the results, is a little messy. Atlanta did have moments that looked like the start of something bigger, especially during the 2021 playoff run.
But that run came with a lot of context. The Hawks faced a New York Knicks team that was described as not-so-skilled and basically just scrappy in the first round, then knocked off a heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers team that was said to be playing handicapped because of Ben Simmons, before losing to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Even the Eastern Conference Finals raised more questions than answers. The source material points to injuries to both Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the reason that series never really showed how it might have played out at full strength.
The next season, though, was where the Hawks’ issues became harder to ignore. Young put together what was described as his best season ever, posting career highs in nearly every category and earning All-NBA honors. Still, Atlanta fell to the Miami Heat in the first round, and the reason given was simple: the Hawks didn’t have another true scorer or ball-handler, which let Miami focus its defense on Young.
That set the stage for the Dejounte Murray trade, but the fit never took off. Young and Murray both needed the ball, and the pairing didn’t solve the problem Atlanta was trying to fix.
The record told part of the story. As a backcourt, Young and Murray went 55-62 despite both being All-Stars.
Murray’s All-Star nod came during an injury-plagued NBA season in 2022, and he hasn’t been back since. More importantly, the source notes that Murray was never really treated like a player who drew double teams or forced defenses to scramble, which made life harder for Young and hurt the spacing Atlanta needed.
That’s where Young’s point starts to make sense. The Hawks never had a teammate in that stretch who was a top 10 offensive player and could command the same kind of attention he did. The article points to players like Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker as the kind of high-end offensive forces who can draw extra defenders and still operate without the ball.
Young also spoke candidly about the front office changes in Atlanta and how that affected his comfort level. He said he loves owner Tony Ressler and the rest of the ownership group, and he made clear he never wanted to leave in a bad way. But the constant turnover mattered to him, especially after the team got to its third general manager.
"You never know how the NBA works. So, you never know if, I mean, a rekindle is in the future for me down there.
I love the owner, Tony Ressler, and all the ownership group and everybody down there. So I have much love to a lot of people down there in Atlanta, so I never wanted to leave in a bad way.
But once we got on that third GM, and we brought in Onsi, it’s like you don’t necessarily feel as comfortable as you did when you got there."
"There are so many things I won’t say until later on, but sometimes it’s just better just to let things go.”
“I’ve never worked in another job, but I’m sure it’s like this in other jobs where if a new boss is hired, if the new CEO comes in, if a new GM comes in, he’s gonna want to bring in his people,” said Young. “He may make some cuts.
He may move some people here and there. He’s gonna figure out who he likes.
So, obviously, this was my third GM. You know what I’m saying?
Like, it’s different."
“And so when we brought our third one, we all knew around me that it’s either we’re going to be around here for the long haul and we win, or it may be time for everybody to just part their ways.”
For now, the idea of a reunion isn’t being ruled out. It would take the right setup for both sides, but the possibility is there.
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