Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has made it clear where he stands—right in the heart of Atlanta, and nowhere else. Young, the centerpiece of the Hawks franchise, conveyed his profound loyalty to the team in an interview with Taylor Rooks, as reported by KENS 5. "Like I just wanna win. So that's, that's in Atlanta. That's, that's where I want to be, that's where I envision myself being. But that's, that's it, that's it," he said, dismissing the notion of a departure from the team that's fostered his rise to stardom.
Young, while recovering from a hand injury, remains optimistic. Having led the team to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the 2020-21 season, the shadow of past successes casts long—as the current season teeters on the brink of missing out on postseason play."I envisioned... I could have went to Kentucky, I could have went to Kansas, but I chose to be different and go to Oklahoma and try to win a championship. I wanted to go there and win in my hometown. Be different…They'd never won a championship in Atlanta. Me getting drafted there felt like a match made in heaven. Like this is something that I want to do. I can defeat the odds here too." Young told Basketball Network, conveying his intentions to stay and bring a title home to Atlanta.
While Young's preference is to stay put, the allure of joining forces with rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio a tantalizing scenario for some has not been enough to sway the narrative. At All-Star Weekend 2024, questioned about the type of player that could complement a talent like Wembanyama, Young might as well have been looking in the mirror. “The kind of player that can help him win a championship and make his job easier. That’s the type of player he needs,” Young humorously told KENS 5, inadvertently describing himself.
Nevertheless, criticism does arise, with former NBA players like DeMarcus Cousins vocalizing their concerns that the Hawks may be squandering Young's best years. In a rather pointed critique of the Bully Ball podcast, Cousins expressed his frustration. "I hope this is the last time we see him in a Hawks uniform," Cousins said, and not keeping it secret, he's hoping for a future pairing of Young with the Spurs.
