As the NBA season heats up and contending teams begin to separate themselves at the top of their respective conferences, the player market around the league is as active as ever. Not long ago, the talk of the town revolved around Giannis Antetokounmpo and the growing noise surrounding his long-term future with the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, however, the spotlight has shifted to another star who finds himself in a far less comfortable position.
For the past few days, there has been growing noise around the league suggesting that Trae Young could be working toward an exit from the Atlanta Hawks sooner rather than later.
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And boy was it soon… Just a few hours ago, it finally happened, and by the looks of it, Young, once viewed as one of the most electric playmakers in the NBA, has found himself on a downward curve in his career. According to Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, there is a very specific reason behind all of it.
Getting success too soon
If we go back just a few seasons ago, during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, “Ice Trae” led the Atlanta Hawks on a memorable run to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the first round, he was undoubtedly one of the league’s most clutch performers by dismantling the New York Knicks while getting booed by the packed Madison Square Garden. That momentum carried into the second round, where Atlanta booted out the Philadelphia 76ers in a hard-fought seven-game series.
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In both series, Young flirted with averages near 30 points and 10 assists, instantly becoming the superstar of the postseason. However, that same career-best performance, according to Miller, might have marked the beginning of the problem that is on full display today.
Because we have to be honest, outside of that Conference Finals appearance, neither Young nor the Hawks have done much since. The roster around him has arguably improved, but the results have failed to come with it.
So, where did things go wrong, one might ask. In typical “Uncle Reg” fashion, Miller explained how Young has already peaked as a player, and he fails to work hard enough to continue improving his game.
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“Here’s the problem, sometimes it’s getting success too early. I think his decline started when the Hawks went to the Conference Finals and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, the eventual champions,” Reg said in his appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show” just a couple of days ago.
“And I think things came too easy for him. And I am not in their practices, I don’t follow them day to day, but I hear things. And when you year things that players don’t like playing with him, he doesn’t practice hard. He doesn’t come early and work out. He certainly doesn’t stay late…” the Indiana Pacers legend added.
New home in D.C. after years of mediority
To be fair, when fully healthy and in rhythm, Young remains one of the best passers and offensive engines in the league. His ability on the offensive side of the ballgame is undeniable, but as Miller pointed out, the consistent chatter coming from people close to the Hawks organization says there is a problem behind the scenes.
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To put things into perspective, Atlanta sits at 18–21 on the season, which is still “good” for the ticket to the Play-In Tournament, but the worrying part was their 2–8 record with Ice Trae in the lineup, which definitely says a lot about the situation with the Oklahoma product.
Now, the saga is finally over. Atlanta has pulled the trigger, sending four-time All-Star to the Washington Wizards in a deal that will see CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert coming to the Hawks.
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Still “just” 27 years old, Ice Trae gets a fresh start in D.C., and only time will tell if this move can truly get his career back on the right track or if Miller’s words of peaking too soon prove to be correct.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.