Trae Young's Former Teammate Discusses Shocking Trade

Nobody was super shocked when the Atlanta Hawks decided to trade Trae Young. The writing had been on the wall for a while that they were moving in a different direction, and Young wasn’t necessarily part of their long-term plans. 

Regardless, NBA trades can really shock the players involved and their teammates. It makes sense. Going to work every day with someone, and then all of a sudden they’re gone, is a weird feeling. 

Jalen Johnson, Young’s teammate and the heir to the Hawks franchise, spoke about what it felt like losing Young mid-season. 

“The first thing I thought was just kind of shock it happened. But then I immediately switched gears and understood it’s time. It’s time to take it up even another notch. With him being out, it allowed me to do more things and stuff like that. But once the news came out, it was like, ‘It’s go-time now. It’s here. It’s time to go get it.’ He’s been there for eight years. And all the stuff he’s done for the city and just being a Hawk, there was just a lot of emotions at that time. And I think it was only me and O that have been around since he’s been here. His speech was good, but like he said, ‘It’s a business at the end of the day.’ And as long as he’s happy, we’re happy.”

Johnson realizes that things are different now. He’s just been handed the keys to the franchise, and his responsibilities have grown immensely. The question is, is he up to the tall task ahead?