‘We’re going to miss him’: Hawks react to trading All-Star guard Trae Young

One minute, Young sat on the bench during the matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans alongside people he called teammates. Next, he was being escorted through the team’s tunnel to learn that he was unofficially on his way to calling another city home.

Young returned to the Hawks bench to watch the remaining minutes of the game. But he headed to the Hawks locker room with 33 seconds still left on the clock to see his now-former teammates for one last meeting.

“We talked about it as a team,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. “He said what he said, and it was kind of emotional, but that’s just the business of it. I think everybody understands it at the end of the day, but we’re all appreciative of Trae and excited.”

For Johnson, who has played with Young consistently for the past three seasons, the gravity of the moment hadn’t hit even after the final buzzer, even after everyone got the chance to hear Young’s goodbyes.

But the 24-year-old forward has nothing but love for Young, who helped Johnson to navigate his increased role in the franchise over the previous two seasons.

“Trae was just always himself. I think I respect that the most about him,” Johnson said. “He always cared about his teammates, despite what everybody said. He was somebody that just loved to make everybody around him better. So I think that’s one of the things I picked up early from him.”

In seven-plus seasons with the Hawks, Young averaged 25.2 points and 9.8 assists, and shot 35.1% from 3.

Young’s reputation as a passer did entice some to come to the Hawks to play alongside him. But he also pushed his teammates to be better and helped them to find another level to their games.

“Coming here from New Orleans a year ago, he’s kind of like the guy that got me going, got my career started, really, and put me in positions to succeed,” Hawks guard Dyson Daniels told reporters. “And, playing alongside a guy like him just really helped me thrive and become a better player.

“So all credit due to him, and obviously, we’re going to miss him. He’s been huge for us. The organization, eight years he was here. It’s a little bit of sad emotions at the moment, but wish him the best. Trae has been one of my guys on this team, and someone that really took me under his wing.”

Some got the chance to experience a full year amid the highlight-worthy assists, like Johnson and Daniels, as well as second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher.

“He’s my guy,” Risacher said. “He’s my brother. ... And I’m just grateful to be able to say that I crossed paths with him. I just always want what’s best for him. If he’s happy, I’m going to be happy for him.”

Others came to Atlanta excited at the prospect of playing with Young. But fate did not have that in the cards for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porzingis or Luke Kennard.

In just the fifth game of the season, Young sustained a right MCL sprain that kept him out for six weeks. He played only five games in his return to the rotation. But by then, the Hawks played a style of basketball that he didn’t fit anymore.

“I wish I would have gotten to play with him more,” Alexander-Walker said. “It’s unfortunate with the injuries, and then just the way some of the games turned out. And I think he took a lot of that burden that was given to him, as opposed to, like, the situation and injuries and all that and he had to take on a lot being the franchise player.”

But even in the short time Alexander-Walker spent with Young, the 27-year-old learned a lot about his now-former teammate.

“Good dude,” Alexander-Walker said. “Very selfless. For me and him, having a lot of conversations to getting here, and then that comfort level that we had within each other just talking. He was always inviting guys to dinners and we shared our lockers in the facility right beside each other.

“So just communicating on similar things, same age, both being married, having children, there’s things that we connected on. So I think it was, it was cool getting to know him as a person, as well as as a teammate.”