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1 min read

Trae Young makes a bold claim about his lack of success with the Hawks

Trae Young was pretty good in Atlanta, but it seems he had one big grievance from his time with the Hawks.
Trae Young makes a bold claim about his lack of success with the Hawks

Now that Trae Young has committed his future to the Washington Wizards, his time with the Atlanta Hawks is firmly in his rearview mirror. He was relatively successful during his time there, especially with the Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021.

Unfortunately, it seems that Young does not look back fondly on his time with the Hawks. He was the star player for the team, but he felt that he did not get much help during his seven-and-a-half seasons there.

Young has always been a fantastic offensive player. He is both an elite scorer and playmaker, which made him one of the most dangerous players in the league during his time with the Hawks.

He has dropped off a bit since his peak, but he definitely has the talent to do it again for Washington. The organization definitely believes in him, as they gave him a massive four-year contract worth $212 million.

MORE: Trae Young reveals the Wizards' top priority in the 2026-27 season

Unfortunately for Young, his time with the Hawks never really took off after that 2021 run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Young himself believes that he did not get enough support during his tenure.

"In Atlanta, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a teammate that can draw double teams. It's something about having a teammate that can draw a double team; if you're getting doubled, you're playing 4-on-3," Young said about his time in Atlanta on the Curious Mike podcast.

"That's what I'm looking forward to... That is what's most frustrating and the most exciting part (in Washington). People probably think Steph can't play pick-and-roll, but he's had Draymond Green."

Ironically enough, Jalen Johnson's breakout came, and he was primed to become the co-star Young wanted. However, the organization had a different direction they wanted, so they dealt Young away.

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It was published on September 22, 2026 and last updated on October 9, 2026. The time of the story is shown in your own time zone on the page.

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