The Atlanta Hawks have been active in trade discussions as the February 5 deadline looms. And what’s becoming more inevitable is that this franchise will deal long-time face Trae Young to another team in the coming weeks.
As the Hawks look set to move into a new era, a retired four-time NBA All-Star is not high on the team’s chances of making the playoffs this season.
DeMarcus Cousins Is Not Bullish on the Atlanta Hawks’ Playoff Odds
Head coach Quinn Snyder’s team currently sits 17-21 overall and tenth in the Eastern Conference. Despite this underachievement in 38 games, there have been some positives with this roster.
Jalen Johnson will likely make his first All-Star appearance, while the offseason addition of Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been a slam dunk. However, DeMarcus Cousins does not love the Hawks’ odds of breaking their two-year playoff drought.
During a segment of Run It Back, the former NBA big man explained why the Hawks would likely make the Play-In but not the playoffs, even if they trade Young.
Trading Trae Young won’t carry the Hawks to the Playoffs 😬
“They haven’t made the playoffs the last two years and I don’t see it changing this year.” – Boogie Cousins@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/vGQ92q2ntC
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 7, 2026
“I’m going Play-In. They haven’t had a lot of consistency; they haven’t made the playoffs in the last two years. I don’t see it changing this year with the state they are currently.
“There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors around Trae Young right now, a lot of uncertainty about where he’ll be moving forward. This just doesn’t sound like a team that’s in the place to win, so I’m going to go with a Play-In team,” Cousins said.
The Hawks Have Lacked Consistency With and Without Their Star Point Guard
The Hawks have a record of 15-13 without Young this regular season. While the defense has improved when the point guard has been off the floor, the offense takes an almost equal dip.
The Hawks clearly want to build their team around Johnson and their defensive versatility, yet could use more offensive skill without compromising this identity. Young reportedly prefers a trade to the Washington Wizards, which has some intriguing talent on their roster.
Unfortunately, despite the 27-year-old’s impressive resume, his value is not high given his $48,967,380 player option next season. When fully healthy, the Hawks have the upside to be a very dangerous team in the Eastern Conference, but that will require players like Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels to take an offensive leap this season.