Why Hawks' Trae Young's rapid decline is almost tragic

Entering the 2021-22 season, Trae Young was labeled one of the "ascendant young stars" in the NBA. After guiding his team to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, he was ready to take an MVP leap. He was already viewed as a top-15 player. 

As we enter the 2024-25 season, the Hawks guard is ranked the 36th-best player by The Ringer and the 10th-best point guard by HoopsHype. 

According to ESPN's Tim McMahon, Young has fallen off the radar to the point where he has "no real trade market." 

"If there was a real market for Trae Young, he'd be somewhere else right now," McMahon said on "The Hoop Collective" recently. "The San Antonio Spurs, if they wanted Trae Young, they easily could have gone and gotten him."

McMahon's reporting was backed up by Spurs beat writer Dusty Garza, who noted that the Spurs "never wanted Trae Young" because he "lacks certain qualities they truly covet."

The Spurs likely showed their lack of interest in Young by drafting point guard Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick in this year's draft. It's no secret the Hawks have been shopping Young since the Feb. 8 trade deadline, lending credence to the theory that the Spurs weren't cutting in line for his services. 

The idea of Young in San Antonio was floated by analysts enamored by the potential two-man game with him and Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs themselves weren't buoyed by the prospect, seemingly.

Where did Trae go wrong?

So, why exactly has Young's value seen such a steep drop?

The easy answer would be that Atlanta has been a play-in team since its one-off Cinderella run in 2021. But there's more to Young's decline than the Hawks' lack of postseason success. 

It's a matter of perception. 

Even as Young continues to register godly stats, he gets overlooked for All-Star and All-NBA teams. This past season, he averaged 25.7 points and a career-high 10.8 assists. He is the only player in the NBA to average at least 25 points and nine assists every season between 2019-20 and 2023-24.

You'd think those numbers would make him a prized commodity. Yet, Young has been pigeonholed in the dreaded "empty-calories" category due to his lack of efficiency in advanced metrics.  

We're at a point where voters, analysts and even Hawks fans have become immune to Young's stat-stuffing. They wish to reserve all judgment until the statistics translate to victories. 

It won't be easy for Young to shake off his league-wide perception. Even if he averages 28 points and 15 assists next season, he's unlikely to change the narrative that follows him.   

Could a change of scenery be the answer? Perhaps. 

But the soon-to-be 26-year-old Young deserves another shot. He's too gifted at basketball to be given up on.