{"id":506898,"date":"2025-12-31T04:55:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T04:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/506898\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T04:55:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T04:55:17","slug":"why-lou-williams-is-finally-ready-for-a-trae-young-hawks-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/506898\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lou Williams is finally ready for a Trae Young-Hawks trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why Lou Williams is finally ready for a Trae Young-Hawks trade<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A growing chorus around the NBA has begun to question the long-term partnership between <\/a>Trae Young<\/a> and the Atlanta Hawks, and former Hawks guard Lou Williams<\/a> is now among those signaling that a separation may be inevitable.<\/p>\n

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Speaking on the latest episode of FanDuel\u2019s Run It Back, Williams acknowledged that while he once hoped Young would remain the face of the franchise, the realities of the league have shifted his perspective<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a perfect world I would like Trae Young to be a part of that, but you know how the NBA works when you get into your eighth season and up and you don\u2019t really get the results that you want, it may be time to look into a different direction,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSo, I would be happy for Trae to be happy wherever he is\u2026 at this point it\u2019s looking like Trae is going to have to find somewhere else to be happy. And Atlanta is probably going to have to move on and create a new identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams emphasized that his comments were not meant to speak for either Young or the organization, but rather reflected his understanding of how front offices operate when sustained success fails to materialize. He framed a potential trade not as a failure, but as a reset that could benefit both sides.<\/p>\n

Those comments arrived amid mounting reports suggesting Atlanta is at least open to exploring a move. NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported a growing league-wide belief that the Hawks are willing to listen<\/a> on Young. ESPN\u2019s Tim MacMahon echoed that sentiment on The Hoop Collective, noting that Atlanta has \u201cindicated that they\u2019re looking for the exit ramp\u201d after declining to pursue a contract extension with the star guard.<\/p>\n

Losses mount as Trae Young\u2019s return sharpens questions about Hawks\u2019 direction\"\u00a9<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

On the court, the timing has only intensified scrutiny. Young, 27, is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range across 10 appearances, playing 28 minutes per contest. Since returning from injury following nearly two months on the sideline, Atlanta has lost all five games in which he has played.<\/p>\n

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The Hawks\u2019 struggles continued Monday night with a 140\u2013129 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>, extending their losing streak to seven games. The skid has dropped Atlanta to 15\u201319, further fueling questions about the team\u2019s direction and whether its current core has reached its ceiling.<\/p>\n

Young\u2019s contract adds another layer to the discussion. He is earning $45.9 million this season and holds a $48.9 million player option for next year, with free agency looming ahead of the 2027\u201328 season. Any trade would represent a seismic shift for the franchise, but also an opportunity to recast its roster around a different timeline.<\/p>\n

For now, Atlanta will try to halt its slide Wednesday afternoon when it faces the Minnesota Timberwolves on New Year\u2019s Eve at 3 p.m. ET. Whether that game marks a turning point or merely another chapter in a difficult stretch, Williams\u2019 comments underscore a growing belief around the league: the Trae Young era in Atlanta may be approaching its final act.<\/p>\n

Related: The Anthony Davis trade mistake Hawks must not make<\/a><\/p>\n

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Related: How Anthony Davis-Hawks trade could become 5-team blockbuster involving Mavericks, Warriors, Kings, Nets<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why Lou Williams is finally ready for a Trae Young-Hawks trade appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506899,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3776],"tags":[676,208,3874,7,677,4851,152,6,179,494],"class_list":{"0":"post-506898","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-hawks","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-hawks","10":"tag-atlantahawks","11":"tag-basketball","12":"tag-hawks","13":"tag-lou-williams","14":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","17":"tag-trae-young"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115812402886347012","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}