The Atlanta Hawks will probably look different soon, as the team and Trae Young are working together to find the guard a new home. Young has not played much this season with the Hawks, but when he has, the team is just 2-8. It's obvious the team is going in a different direction for the future, and Young seems to understand that as well.

Outside of Young, the Hawks are still trying to compete and win games, but there's no doubt that trade rumors and the noise could be distracting. After a recent shootaround, Dyson Daniels and Kristaps Porzingis spoke about the rumors surrounding Young and how the team is handling it.

“We can’t control what’s going on with the noise and the rumors,” Daniels said. “Obviously, that’s the front office and Trae’s job. All we can do is support Trae, he’s been the face of the organization since he got here. We want what’s best for Trae, but as a team, we has to continue to focus on what we can do to become a better team.”

“We're handling it okay,” Porzingis said. “Of course it's not the best thing in the world, but we just want to play better basketball no matter the circumstances.

“Obviously, the external things are what they are, but we can't do anything about it.”

Without Young, the Hawks are 15-13 this season, and they have been led by Jalen Johnson, who has turned into an All-Star caliber player, as he's currently averaging 23.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also another player who has stepped up for the Hawks, and he's averaging 20.5 points per game.

Article Continues Below

The Trae Young era in Atlanta may soon be over

Coming into the season, there were questions surrounding Young's future with the Hawks, especially since he didn't sign a contract extension with the team. From there, it seemed like something that he and the team would figure out at the end of the season, but after seeing how this season has gone, things have picked up quicker than expected.

There have not been many teams to show interest in Young, but there is one that is his preferred destination, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

“Trae Young has the Washington Wizards as his top preferred trade destination, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta is working to move Young, who has a $49 million player option in offseason that would make him an expiring contract; or opt out, leave and give Hawks significant cap space,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

For the Hawks, they'll probably take on the CJ McCollum's expiring contract, which would leave them with cap flexibility going into the offseason. As for the Wizards, they get a lead guard who can build with the young players already on the team, and he can make a decision on his player option at the end of the season.

In all, it seems like the Young era is done in Atlanta, and it can happen sooner rather than later.