NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce made sure his message landed loud and clear. While reacting to the Atlanta Hawks’ decision to move on from Trae Young, Pierce delivered one of the harshest public critiques the franchise has faced in years, questioning both the trade and the organization’s long-term credibility, per Yahoo.
The Hawks dealt Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, with no draft compensation attached. For Pierce, that return symbolized a deeper issue rather than a simple roster reset.
“I’m never shocked at what the Atlanta Hawks do, as a mid-franchise, as a franchise who is not respected as an organization because of ownership,” Pierce said during an appearance on the No Fouls Given show. “They never do anything that surprises me.”
Pierce pointed directly to Young’s résumé and impact, emphasizing how little Atlanta received in return. “So for them to give up a four-time All-Star, a guy who is one of the elite point guards in the league who has got them to the Eastern Conference Finals, and not even get a draft pick out of it,” he said. “That tells me you just wanted him out of your city, out of your state.”
Paul Pierce blasts the Hawks, calls them a “mid franchise,” and says they’ll never win a championship in his lifetime—adding that if they do, he’ll crawl from Los Angeles to New York on his knees 😳
(🎥 @NFGShow / https://t.co/gpQKMfKBZK) pic.twitter.com/Is8uOqy9c5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 9, 2026
Pierce Doubles Down With a Bold Guarantee
Pierce did not stop at criticizing the trade.
“Organizations like this will never be elite. Organizations like this will never win a championship in my lifetime,” Pierce said. “I guarantee that. If they do, I will crawl from L.A. to New York on my knees. They’re going to be a middling franchise for eternity.”
While extreme, Pierce’s stance leans on history. The Atlanta Hawks have not reached the NBA Finals since relocating to Atlanta in the late 1960s, making sustained postseason success elusive.
Young formally closed the chapter shortly after the deal became official, sharing a farewell message on social media. “I’m walking into this next chapter with my head high and my eyes forward,” he wrote. “It’s time to see what’s possible when the support is real and the vision is clear. We move.”
