The biggest news right now in the NBA is, without a doubt, Trae Young’s departure from the Atlanta Hawks. However, not for what you think. While the talk of the town should’ve been the former lottery pick’s contribution to the Hawks franchise, or what he brings to the table for the Washington Wizards, that’s not the case; it’s what the Hawks got in return for Young.

In fact, former NBA star Paul Pierce did not hold back at all as he expressed his feelings about this blockbuster trade while making a bold claim.

“I’m not shocked by what they did. As a mid-franchise, a franchise that’s not respected as an organization because of ownership, they never do anything that surprises me,” Pierce said in a recent interview. “For them to give up a 4x All-Star, a guy who’s an elite PG in the league and got them to the Eastern Conference, and not get a draft pick out of it? That tells me you wanted him out of your state.”

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“Organizations like this will never be elite. Organizations like this will never win a championship in my lifetime. If they do, I will crawl from LA to New York on my knees. They’ll be a middling franchise for eternity,” the former NBA champion concluded.

The Boston Celtics icon took a not-so-subtle shot at the Atlanta-based franchise, and the concerning part might be that he’s got a valid point. After all, apart from their Eastern Conference Finals run led by Trae Young himself back in 2021, they’ve been a mid-table team for most of the last five seasons or so.

Although they tried to bolster their ranks ahead of this season, with the acquisition of Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis and a few more that didn’t work out the way they would’ve hoped for. The Hawks currently sit 9th in the Eastern Conference, which is wide open this season with a terrible 18-21 record.

So it was evident that they needed to make some changes. However, it’s absurd to think that the Hawks were not able to extract even one first-round pick for their superstar point guard, something that Paul Pierce pointed out very clearly. This makes you think that the Washington Wizards are the clear winner in this blockbuster trade?

Who won the Trae Young trade?

Less than five years ago, if someone said that the Atlanta Hawks would trade Trae Young, let alone for just CJ McCollum and Cory Kispert without even a single pick, they would’ve laughed it off. However, that’s the reality now. So, can we just say that the Washington Wizards won the trade? Well, not yet. That’s because Young and Hawks haven’t been the best combination this season.

The historic franchise is not only defending well without the point guard on the floor, but also in general playing better basketball. Although his defensive woes are nothing new, the biggest difference has been on the offensive end. Moreover, Atlanta also went 2-8 in the 10 games that Young played this season, which might’ve ultimately led to this deal.

Meanwhile, he was also on an expiring deal, meaning his value was at an all-time low. Nonetheless, still not getting any picks for doesn’t seem right. On the other hand, the Hawks have received a veteran point guard whom they can utilize around their young core, similar to the Wizards. So, this might be a win-win situation after all for both teams.

Still, nothing can be said with certainty until we see how both teams perform in the coming weeks, as we keep a close eye on them in the meantime.