The Atlanta Hawks announced Saturday that star point guard Trae Young is “expected to return to practice next week” as he “continues to increase his reconditioning activities” following the MCL sprain he suffered in his right knee back on Oct. 29.
Young has missed 21 games, with the Hawks going 12-9 in that time.
Both Jalen Johnson (23.2 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.6 SPG) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20.7 PPG) have stepped up in a major way this season for the Hawks, especially considering that Kristaps Porziņģis has also struggled with injuries this season, only appearing in 13 games.
Young averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 assists in his five games this season.
The Hawks and Young are entering an interesting crossroads. The star point guard is only under contract through the 2025-26 season, with a player option for 2026-27 that he likely will decline.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have a talented young core outside of Young and Porziņģis that includes Johnson (23), Zaccharie Risacher (20), Dyson Daniels (22) and Onyeka Okongwu (25), along with the rights to swap first-round picks with the New Orleans Pelicans. Given that New Orleans is dreadful (4-22), it’s very possible that pick could end up netting the Hawks a future star like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer.
With Porziņģis also about to hit free agency, the Hawks could decide to transition away from their two-timeline approach this season and instead fully build around a younger core. That could mean Young becomes a trade candidate ahead of February’s trade deadline, especially given that the young Hawks have played pretty well without him thus far.
Once Young returns, the Hawks will have some time to evaluate how he looks with this younger core. There’s also the matter of whether rival teams would be interested in paying much to acquire a pending free agent like Young, who has been knocked for his lack of defensive impact and size in the past.
For now, just getting Young back on the court is the first step.