Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reportedly isn’t a favorite amongst his teammates.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, there is “intel” that Young’s teammates don’t enjoy playing with him, which certainly could limit his value in the trade market if the Hawks want to move on from him this offseason.
“His reputation is as such that – he’s not necessarily loved by his teammates,” Pincus said of Young. “That’s the buzz. And I don’t like to say negative things, but it’s pretty overwhelming. I guess the intel on Trae is that his teammates don’t enjoy playing with him.”
Young is a ball-dominant guard, but he is also a gifted passer, averaging over 10 assists per game in each of the last two seasons. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Young averaged 10.8 assists per game in the 2023-24 season, a career-high.
Despite his passing, there are certainly drawbacks to Young’s game. He’s posted a negative defensive box plus/minus in every season of his NBA career, and he turned the ball over more than any player in the 2021-22 season and 2022-23 campaign.
The three-time All-Star is a terrific scorer, averaging 25.5 points per game for this career, but he isn’t a super efficient player. For his career, Young shoots 43.6 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Hawks could look to trade Young this offseason in an attempt to break up the guard duo of him and Dejounte Murray.
Atlanta made the playoffs in the 2022-23 season with Murray and Young on the roster, losing in the first round to the Boston Celtics. This season, Atlanta didn’t even get that far, losing in the play-in tournament to the Chicago Bulls.
Young wasn’t at his best in that game, shooting 4-for-12 from the field and turning the ball over six times. He posted a team-worst plus/minus of minus-27 in the 131-116 loss.
It was reported that San Antonio Spurs young star Victor Wembanyama is intrigued by the idea of playing with Young, and it’s possible the Spurs could be amongst the teams that would consider trading for the Hawks star guard.
No matter where he is next season, Young will look to improve upon his play and help lead his team deep into the playoffs to shake the notion that his teammates don’t enjoy playing with him.
