When Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, there was no doubt that the 6-foot-1 point guard had firmly established himself as the organization’s cornerstone superstar.
So much has happened in the span of three years, though, and perhaps more importantly, the Hawks do not appear to be any closer to winning a championship. Amid all the disappointment, some doubt has already crept in regarding Young’s tenure with the squad and whether or not he is the right man to lead this team to glory.
Trae Young Opens up on Atlanta Hawks Future
Young recently sat down with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report in an emotional tell-all interview. Naturally, the pair discussed the elephant in the room, which was the constant trade rumors linking Trae to a potential divorce with the same team that drafted him as the No. 5 overall pick back in 2018.
For his part, Young isn’t shying away from all the hearsay. In fact, he is adamant that he won’t have any problems finding a new home if push comes to shove:
“Some of the best players ever have been traded, so who am I to just be here mad or feeling unwanted or feeling a certain way?” he said. “Like, if you don’t want me, okay. I feel like somebody else will. That’s okay.
“But for me, like I said, I’m not in that place. I’m where my feet are right now. … I’ll be alright.”
Here to Stay
After dropping a bombshell about potentially leaving the Hawks, Young was then asked straight up if he personally would like to remain in Atlanta for the long haul. The three-time All-Star got brutally honest in his response:
“Hopefully,” he responded. “… They’ve never won a championship in Atlanta. Me being drafted there felt like it was a match made in heaven. This is something I want to do. I can defeat the odds here, too. So for me, my whole vision was to always be here. My whole goal is to win here, win championships, bring people here with me, build this championship here and dynasty here.
“But who knows? It’s Year 6 now. Who knows?”
Young then concluded by reiterating his desire to remain with the Hawks for the foreseeable future:
“Yeah, you heard it from the source. I want to win,” he stated. “… That’s in Atlanta. That’s where I want to be. That’s where I envision myself being. That’s it.”
Whether the team feels the same way, however, remains to be seen.
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