We’re officially in the postseason, and with this comes the drama, the suspense, and the chaos. Rest assured! There was plenty of that as the Atlanta Hawks took on the Orlando Magic in the NBA play-in tournament. The seventh and eighth seeds locked horns for a spot in the playoffs. Orlando started strongly dominating Trae Young’s Atlanta. The Magic built a comfortable 14-point lead at the end of the first half. With that, the Hawks saw their entire season’s hard work slip through the cracks on Tuesday. They needed to bounce back. And they did that successfully, thanks to their superstar guard Trae Young. Atlanta cut down a massive 22-point deficit to just three in the third quarter! However, things went south when Young’s emotions got the better of him.
The game got out of hand when Trae Young got frustrated with the officials. With just 4:50 remaining, Young scored a meaningless layup after nutmegging Wendell Carter Jr. cutting down Orlando’s lead to 20 points. Then he fired the ball—at referee James Williams on the baseline, earning a quick technical foul. Only if it stopped there! Young intercepted Williams’ pass to referee Pat Fraher for a Magic technical foul shot. However, intercepting the pass wasn’t enough for Young! He then kicked the ball toward the sideline away from Fraher. This, of course, led to another technical foul coming Trae Young’s way—resulting in an ejection.
There’s more! Ejection also didn’t stop Young from performing one final stunt. Before playing keep-away with a crossover dribble, he faked a pass to Fraher. You could assume that the officials weren’t too pleased with the Hawks guard’s actions. In fact, referee James Williams called his actions “a mockery of the game“. It’s a massive statement from Williams, who was disappointed by Young’s antics. However, former Atlanta player Lou Williams thinks that this is an overstatement from the refs despite calling out Young for his behavior. “Here’s my beef. Don’t give referees a microphone. Don’t give them a microphone.” Lou Williams stated.
Apr 15, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts after receiving a second technical foul and ejection against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck- Imagn Images.
“But listen, the mockery of the game is strong. Yeah, because again, I don’t understand what his frustration was with the referees. He shot a ton of free throws, a lot of those he initiated the contact. The referees had nothing to do with this game. Orlando outplayed the Hawks yesterday, plain and simple.” Williams added. While he isn’t a fan of referees talking, Williams didn’t understand Young’s frustration.
Furthermore, Lou pointed out that the 26-year-old won 12 free throws on the night. Despite the blowout loss, Trae had a good game, finishing the night with an impressive 28/6/2 on the stat line. So, getting angry with the referees and throwing balls at them was very uncalled for. Meanwhile, Lou Williams also weighed in his opinion on Trae Young’s future in Atlanta.
Was this the last time we saw Trae Young in a Hawks uniform?
The Atlanta Hawks have been accumulating draft picks by trading their rotation players for cheaper players and picks. This only means one thing: A rebuild. But the problems for the Hawks are that they do not have control over their picks until 2028. So, in the summer, they’ll have a decision to make on Trae Young. The 26-year-old point guard has just one year left on his contract and a player option for the 2026-27 season.
While Atlanta might offer him an extension, the question is whether or not Young still wants to stay in Atlanta. He’s made it clear he wants to compete and win instead of being part of another rebuild. However, this Atlanta team that got blown out by Orlando and now awaits the winner of the Miami vs Chicago play-in matchup doesn’t look like a contending team. So, will Trae Young look for a new home this summer? Lou Williams thinks that anything is possible.
Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) brings the ball up court against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
“Anything is possible at this point. But I do think they bounce back. I think they bounce back. I think that they played like they knew that they had another opportunity to get it right. And I think this is the one. They play their different basketball team at home in Atlanta. Their fanbase, they’ll show up and be supportive of those guys. And I think Trae Young has a big game, keeps his head on his shoulders, and he leads this team to victory.” Williams suggested.
He believes that Trae Young and Atlanta got a bit complacent the other night but will bounce back. Moreover, he stated that anything is possible trade-wise. Well, you cannot blame him after watching everything that has unfolded this season. Young has been Atlanta’s leader in scoring this season. He’s been averaging 24.2 points along with 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. So, it’s a no-brainer that he’s been quite valuable to the Hawks. But a lot depends on his will to stay or not. So, how this situation in Atlanta unfolds will surely be worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.
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