Trae Young Takes Shots at Hawks After Zaccharie Risacher Trade to Mavs: “My Boy Free”

Trae Young did not hold back with his reaction to Zaccharie Risacher's trade out of Atlanta.

Trae Young Takes Shots at Hawks After Zaccharie Risacher Trade to Mavs: “My Boy Free”

Trae Young (Image credits - Firstsportz)

It is unfortunate that Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks parted ways not on the best of terms. Young was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks as the number five pick in the 2018 NBA draft. But he was immediately traded to the Hawks in exchange for Luka Doncic.

In the beginning, it looked like the Hawks got what they wanted. Young became an All-Star in his second season and led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. It looked like they found the face of their franchise and someone who could lead them for years to come in Young.

However, injuries and lack of postseason success became a problem over the past few years. Since their deep postseason run in 2021, the Hawks made it to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. They never made it past the first round in both years and have failed to make it to the playoffs with Young since.

While the Hawks moved on from Young, it looks like they traded away Zaccharie Risacher as well. Risacher shared a goodbye message to the organization that drafted him in 2024. But what caught everyone’s eye was Young’s comment under the post.

My boy free! Go fly killa!

Trae Young’s comment on Zaccharie Risacher’s Instagram post

After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year in 2025, Trae Young struggled with injuries last season. He was restricted to just 10 appearances for the Hawks in the 2025-26 campaign.

Despite his absence, the Hawks had their best regular-season performance in recent years as they finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 46-36 record. Their position saw them secure a direct playoff qualification last season.

Their improved showing last season was a sign for the Hawks to move on from Young, with Jalen Johnson showing promise and stepping up in his performances. Hence, Young ended up getting traded to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline this year.

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Fans react to Trae Young’s comments on Zaccharie Risacher’s goodbye message to the Hawks

Zaccharie Risacher was drafted by the Hawks as the number one pick two years ago. Unfortunately, his time with the franchise came to an end after his second season. During his sophomore season, Risacher’s playing time and usage decreased. The Hawks traded him to the Mavs on Monday.

Young’s comment on his goodbye post to the Hawks caught several eyeballs as fans took to social media to react to it.

Hawks fans were delighted to see both stars out of Atlanta as they believe Young and Risacher held the team back. It will be interesting to see if Risacher can redeem himself in Dallas alongside 2025 number one pick, Cooper Flagg.

Trae Young feels he is smarter than 95% of the league

Young has been named an All-Star four times in his career. He has shown that he is an elite scorer and is undoubtedly one of the best passers and playmakers in the league. He led the league in assists in the 2024-25 campaign.

Trae Young
Trae Young (Image credits – Kalshi Hoops/X)

In a recent interview, Young spoke about his game and believes that he is smarter than the majority of the league.

I know angles. I know how to score from every level. I feel I’m just smarter than 95% of the league. If I was blessed enough to be 6’8″ the world would look at me even more different. That was God humbling me. He made me 6’2″ and I’m still able to do what I do at a high level. I’m not complaining at all. That’s really what it is. I’m just smarter than a lot of the guys I go against.

Trae Young on Million $ Worth of Game

With Anthony Davis and this year’s number one pick AJ Dybantsa by his side, it will be interesting to see how Young performs next season. He signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the Wizards last month. They are far away from competing for a championship, but they will have their eyes on making it to the playoffs next year.

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