Hawks' Trae Young Calls Criticism of His Game 'Very Comical,' Expects 'Special' Season
Trae Young is expecting to have a "special" 2025-26 season for the Atlanta Hawks, though he's keenly aware of the critiques that have been levied against him during his NBA career.
"I can't adjust my game. I can't play with this guy or this guy," he told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, reciting back the criticisms he's heard. "I mean, it's very comical to me. It's very funny. There's so many things, man."
It's a particularly important season for Young, given that he can enter free agency in the summer (or exercise a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season). Likewise, he's eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension, though Youngmisuk noted that the Hawks will likely wait on extensions for both Young and Kristaps Porziņģis to evaluate their current roster construction.
If this group doesn't mesh, the Hawks could turn their focus to building around a younger core that includes Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks will also have the rights to the more favorable of the New Orleans Pelicans' and Milwaukee Bucks' first-round selections, though the San Antonio Spurs have swap rights on the Hawks' own first-round pick.
Still, if the Pelicans struggle—or if the Bucks ultimately trade Giannis Antetokounmpo—the Hawks could end up with a very valuable lottery pick in what is expected to be a strong draft at the top. So maintaining the flexibility to transition to a younger rebuild makes sense for the Hawks, though it leaves Young in a bit of a limbo.
Not that he's sweating it, at least publicly.
"I think it's going to be great. I'm not worried about it," he told ESPN while discussing the extension topic. "As much as I wish it was, it's not all in my hands and I can't control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats... I understand what winning can do. If certain things don't go my way as far as injuries, health and stuff that I can't control, that may be the man above telling me there's another plan for me. I'm focused on making sure all my guys, Quin [Snyder] included, get taken care of and succeed."
The 27-year-old Young, a four-time All-Star, has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season compared to his own standards, averaging 20.7 points and seven assists per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from three. All of those numbers are below his career averages, though he's only three games into the season and the 1-2 Hawks are still jelling after a busy offseason that saw them add Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard.
Expectations are high in Atlanta. It's on Young's shoulders to ensure they are met.
