On Friday, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Miami Heat in a do-or-die play-in matchup. Trae Young and Co. entered this game after missing out on securing a playoff spot against Orlando. They were eyeing a bounce-back against Miami. However, their season came to a tough end after falling short against the Heat in overtime and losing the game 123-114. Atlanta’s point guard, Trae Young, pushed the team to overtime, but couldn’t get them to the playoffs. Young finished the night with 29 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds. While his stat line was impressive, Young’s shooting wasn’t. The Hawks’ star went 9-of-22 from the field, adding to Atlanta’s misery.

It hasn’t been a great time for Trae Young and the Hawks in the postseason. It started with Young getting ejected from the first game as Orlando blew Atlanta apart. Then, despite making a comeback, they failed to seal the deal against Miami on Friday. With these back-to-back defeats, they allowed Miami to become the first-ever 10th-seed team to make it to the playoffs from the play-in tournament. Of course, their terrible play-in tournament run was met with criticism from fans and media alike. However, Atlanta’s franchise player also did not sugarcoat his feelings about how brutally the season ended. After the loss against the Heat, Trae Young expressed his feelings on the season. “I mean, we all look at the season differently. For me personally, not making the playoffs is a failure.” Young stated.

The 26-year-old Atlanta star was honest about his assessment of this season. “For me, no matter who’s out there, you know what I’m saying, no matter how much adversity with injuries we’ve had to face, I still feel like we’ve had a good enough group to make the playoffs and at least go in there and compete.” This season has not been easy for the Hawks as they lost a key player in forward Jalen Johnson. The 23-year-old’s season ended early with an unfortunate shoulder injury. Moreover, Atlanta also missed several players throughout the season, including Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr., who did not play in the postseason. However, despite that, Young believes they had a group strong enough to at least make it to the first round of the playoffs.

Indeed, they had the quality despite being hard-hit with injuries; they managed to touch the 40-win mark and grabbed the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. “I mean, nobody looks at us as a title contender and things like that. So, for me, I mean it’s all about how we could get better each and every day and focus on that, and that’s something that was told to me before the season started that I needed to focus on and things like that, because people know how much I really care about winning.” He added. Young acknowledged that them being a young team, the focus is on the development of his teammates. However, the results still did not match his expectations, and to him, this season was a failure. This statement from Young has further fueled his already existing trade rumors.

Is this the end of Trae Young’s time in Atlanta?

Trae Young has been the centerpiece of this Atlanta Hawks team since joining them in 2018. The 26-year-old has enjoyed some incredible moments with the franchise, but his time with the franchise seems to be limited. The Hawks have traded a couple of their rotation players in exchange for some cheaper players and draft picks. Moreover, their big man, Clint Capela, is also set to hit the free agency this summer. All of this indicates toward one thing and one thing only: A rebuild. While Trae Young has another year plus a player option for the 2026-27 season, he doesn’t want to be part of another rebuild.

There’s a chance that Atlanta might think of offering Young an extension on his current $215 million deal. However, Young might not be interested in it because of his hunger to win. So, is this the end of a seven-year partnership between the 26-year-old point guard and the franchise? It’s much more complex than it looks. While the partnership has not been fruitful for either party, it might not be easy to find a suitable destination for Young. However, a few options have emerged that include the likes of Houston, Chicago, and Portland. Starting with the Rockets, they might be willing to trade a few of their young players in exchange for a seasoned point guard like Young.

They might be willing to give away a few draft picks along with players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and more. So, they should be the first call the Hawks make if they decide on shipping Trae Young. Another option could be the Bulls, but they don’t seem to be going any any particular direction. Lastly, the Trail Blazers check all the boxes. They have young talent, valuable draft picks, and expiring contracts to provide cap relief. Moreover, they have a young, talented squad that could use a leader like Young in their ranks. Keeping that in mind, it will be interesting to see where the Hawks’ star ends up as we monitor the situation in Atlanta closely.