The Trae Young era in Atlanta is getting old

As a Hawks fan, it pains me to write this.

Since being drafted in 2018, Trae Young has been electric. From logo threes to insane assists, he surely is a star in the league.

His performance in the 2021 playoffs, specifically his outstanding performance against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, was not far off from iconic.

The Hawks made it to the ECF that year and possibly could have gone further if not for Trae getting injured.

The team was young (no pun intended) and seemingly primed to make deep playoff runs for years to come.

Instead, the team has struggled to simply make the play-in tournament for the last several years.

The Hawks offense has been good, sometimes even great the last couple of seasons. In 2023, the team ranked sixth in offensive rating.

Where the team struggles is on defense. Last year the team had a 120.5 defensive rating. This was 28th in the league.

Trae Young’s defensive rating? 121.5.

Trae Young is the leading star of the team and sets the standard for the rest of the players. His disinterest on the defensive side of the ball has spread to the rest of the Hawks players.

We just saw in the Finals how important it is to have strong two-way players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Hawks just simply don’t have those kinds of players. Trae Young, outstanding offensive talent aside, certainly does not fit that mold.

Lets not kid ourselves. The Hawks are not built to win anything significant as currently constructed - even with the 1st pick in this year’s draft.

If this organization is serious about winning, it’s time to see what picks and players we can get for Trae Young and try to become at least an average defensive team. Several other trades would need to be made, but Trae is the biggest trade piece the Hawks have.

Another thing to consider - The NBA has become the league of mobility. Who’s to say Trae doesn’t look to leave for the bright lights of LA or Miami in a couple of years anyway? Better to move him now than let him leave and get nothing at all.

It’s never easy to let go of a star player. Especially one that has grown with the city that drafted him. It would hurt to see Trae Young go, but it may be the best move the Hawks have to make.