Hawks’ Trae Young: Tense Exchange With Nate McMillan Overblown

While Hawks guard Trae Young sat out Friday’s win over the Nuggets following a reported tense exchange with coach Nate McMillan, it’s not anything to be concerned about, Young said, via Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“I mean, it was just a situation,” Young said, via Williams. “I mean, we’re all grown men here. And there’s sometimes we don’t always agree. And it’s unfortunate that private situations and private conversations get out to the public. But I guess that’s what the world we live in now.

“But um, yeah, I’m just gonna just focus on basketball and focus on helping my team win. And that’s what I got to be focusing on.”

Young is saying all the right things, and he’s right about everything being blown out of proportion in these days of social media — but Shams Charania of The Athletic added that the situation was a “microcosm” of the Hawks’ “locker room at large” these days.

Despite that, they remain in first place in the Southeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Along with the recent drama involving Young and McMillan, forward John Collins has been at the center of multiple trade rumors.

I also asked him about how he and Nate McMillan will address any future miscommunications:

"We'll figure that out."

— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) December 5, 2022