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Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young discussed his desire to remain with the organization when speaking to reporters on Friday.
“I want to be here,” Young said. “I want to be here, but I want to win too.”
“That’s pretty much all it is for me,” he added.
Alison Mastrangelo @AlisonWSB
Here’s my full question & follow up with Trae Young when I asked him if he wants to be in Atlanta next year & if he thinks he can win here. #truetoatlanta #NBA pic.twitter.com/9OfbvfMFkW
When asked if he believes that he can win with the Hawks, Young said that he thinks “it can be here, we just got to make it happen.”
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on April 9 that Atlanta is “likely” to trade either Young or teammate Dejounte Murray during the 2024 offseason.
Following the Feb. 8 trade deadline, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that several NBA front offices came away from trade talks with the “belief” that Young could be dealt during the offseason.
The Hawks have struggled to build upon a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, losing in the first round of the playoffs in each of the following two seasons. They couldn’t even get that far in 2024, falling to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament on Wednesday. Young recorded 22 points and 10 assists in the loss, although he shot just 4-12 from the field.
The 25-year-old struggled to stay healthy throughout his 2023-24 campaign, appearing in a career-low 54 contests due to a torn ligament in his finger. However, he still averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game while shooting 37.3 percent from three on 8.7 attempts each night.
Young still has three seasons left on the five-year, $207 million extension that he signed with the Hawks in 2021. This includes a player option worth roughly $48.9 million for the 2026-27 season.
However, Young’s desire to win may cause him to consider a change of scenery. Atlanta finished with a record of 36-46 in the regular season as the team’s win total decreased for the third consecutive year.