The Atlanta Hawks went through the first round of the playoffs after defeating the Miami Heat yesterday, and the point guard Trae Young contributed most to the victory.
Statistically, this season wasn’t the finest of his five-year career; Trae joined the Hawks after being picked fifth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA draft. It developed gradually since his debut, as his potential suggests, but this time the NBA world was disappointed in his performance.
Amid this situation, the Hawks star made a stir after commenting on his future at the organization in a recent interview.
What did Trae Young say?
The 24-year-old seemed frustrated at himself after having a comparatively worse season. The trouble even increased after the speculation about his trade made headlines, and he said, “Stuff like that comes out all the time. It could be false, it could be true; you never know.”
“It could be false, could be true, you never know,”
– Trae Young on trade rumors
(Via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/1AlpghEGtR
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 11, 2023
“It’s hard—you can’t look at it. Especially as the player in the moment, you can’t look at what’s gonna come on next year,” the two-time all-star continued. “After the game, if the game doesn’t go your way tonight, what’s gonna happen? Like, you can’t focus on things like that.”
“That messes up your head and then you’re not ready to play so, me, I’m not worried about that. I’m gonna let my game play,” the PG added. “After the season, whatever happens, happens. I mean, I’m focused on the next task at hand.”
No one from the Hawks’ ownership or front office has told Trae Young he could be traded.
But “stuff like that comes out all the time.”
The two-time All-Star addressed the rumors about his future with @joevardon: https://t.co/wUJpiiQykP pic.twitter.com/hNhZbICkOz
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) April 11, 2023
“I can’t worry about the outside noise or whatever fake stories come out or what’s true, whatever,” the Wayman Tisdale Award recipient concluded. It appears the pressure to do better is taking its toll on the performance, and it became heavier at this moment.
Young scored on average 26.2 points with 10.2 rebounds per game in 73 appearances this season. If we focus on his shooting outcome, his field goal completion rate came down to 42.9%; his three-pointers and free throws are also seen as significant downgrades.
The Hawks are not likely to support their star in this moment as it seems; they want to unload him in the next offseason, rumors indicate. However, Trae Young has proven his potential and ability in earlier days of his career; if it comes to that point, he wouldn’t have much trouble finding a new team to shine with.
Let us know your thoughts regarding Hawks’ star Trae Young’s trade speculation.
