Trae Young Reportedly Out 4 Weeks with Knee Injury, Hawks Star Avoided Major Damage
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee and will miss at least four weeks before being re-evaluated, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
An MRI on Friday revealed that Young "dodged major structural damage" in his knee, per Charania.
The four-time All-Star suffered the injury in the first quarter of Atlanta's 117-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, colliding with teammate Mouhamed Gueye.
Young recorded six points, one rebound and one assist while shooting 2-of-4 from the field in seven minutes prior to exiting the game.
His upcoming absence is a tough blow for Atlanta, especially considering he hasn't experienced many availability issues as of late. Young has appeared in at least 73 games in three of the prior four seasons, only missing extended time during his 2023-24 campaign due to a finger injury.
The 27-year-old was dealing with inconsistent shooting efficiency to open the 2025-26 season, averaging 20.8 points and 9.5 assists per game on 36.4/19.2/83.3 shooting splits through his first four contests.
Still, there was more than enough optimism that Young could get back on track after coming off a year in which he averaged 24.2 points and a league-leading 11.6 assists per game.
If Young were to miss exactly four weeks before returning, he'd be sidelined for Atlanta's next 14 games before coming back for a matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 30.
In the meantime, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will replace Young in the Hawks' starting lineup while reserve guard Luke Kennard should receive more opportunities to run the team's offense.
