Trae Young suffers MCL sprain in early Hawks injury crusher

The Hawks will be without their superstar point guard for the near future.

Trae Young suffered a sprain in his right MCL and will be reevaluated in four weeks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday.

Young, who got hurt during the Hawks’ 117-112 win over the Nets on Wednesday, did avoid major structural damage to his knee.

Trae Young grabs his right knee while grimacing during the first half of the Nets’ loss to the Hawks on Oct. 29, 2025 at Barclays Center. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The 27-year-old suffered the injury during the first quarter when he was standing under the basket when Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye fell into Young’s leg after being pushed by Nets forward Noah Clowney.

Through five games played this season, Young has averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from the field.

Young, who led the league with 11.6 assists last season, is in his eighth NBA season with the Hawks.

During his time in Atlanta, Young has emerged as one of the league’s top point guards, averaging 25.2 points and 9.8 assists for his career.

Throughout his career, Young has racked up four All-Star selections, and earned All-NBA third team honors during the 2021-22 season.

Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks to pass the ball. — Trae Young scans the court during the first half of the Nets’ loss to the Hawks at Barclays Center. AP

Following two straight seasons which saw Atlanta miss the postseason, Young told ESPN in October that this year was the “biggest season” for him.

Young has a $49 million player option for next season, but wants to prove to the Hawks that he is worth the $229 million, four-year extension that he is eligible for.

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Young, however, insisted that he was “not worried” about entering the season without a deal already in place.

“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young said to ESPN. “As much as I wish it was, it’s not all in my hands and I can’t control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats … I understand what winning can do.

“If certain things don’t go my way as far as injuries, health and stuff that I can’t control, that may be the man above telling me there’s another plan for me. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, Quin [Snyder] included, get taken care of and succeed.”

[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]