Some surprising trades are already making the 2023-24 NBA season quite exciting for fans. Notably, the Chris Paul to Washington Wizards trade shocked a lot of people. Then the story took another turn when the Golden State Warriors traded Jordan Poole to the Wizards for CP3. Also, the Marcus Smart trade to the Memphis Grizzlies was a bombshell as well. Similarly, the Atlanta Hawks recently traded John Collins for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. Even though it might look outrageous, the Hawks had to do it to free some cap space. Amidst this, Trae Young hit back at being dubbed as a “villain”.

The Hawks notably beat the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament to clinch the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the team was eliminated 4-2 in the first round by the Boston Celtics. After the disappointment, the Hawks are apparently looking to shake things up for the upcoming season.

Trae Young is not impressed

John Collins was a crucial player for the Hawks in the past few years. He played and started 71 games last season with 30 minutes on the floor. However, his numbers have been on a consistent decline of late.

After averaging over 21 points and 10 rebounds in the 2019-20 season, he averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds last year. Furthermore, the power forward struggled even more in the playoffs. This was a major cause of concern for the team given the massive 5-year $125 million contract he signed in 2021.

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So the Hawks finally decided to pull the plug and traded Collins to the Utah Jazz. After the trade, Trae Young took to social media to show love for Collins. The young star recently made an appearance on From The Point Podcast where he discussed a variety of interesting things. In one instance, he talked about his “villain” tag.

Former Knicks Star, Whose 4-Words Have Always Been Adhered by Trae Young, Gives the New York’s Villain “Utmost Respect”

Young said, “I don’t like being looked as a villain or looked at as a certain person because I’m not. If you meet me, we could be cool.”

He added, “I don’t like it but at the same time if what I’m doing in basketball is making you feel this way, a certain type of way towards me, it’s not gonna phase me. I’mma let it fuel me and really just use it that way. But I don’t like it. I think a lot of people get that misinterpreted.”

Fans expressed their support for Young

Fans loved Trae Young hitting back at people dubbing him a “villain” when the video clip was shared on social media. Also, Young shared it on his Instagram story as well. A lot of fans expressed their opinion in the comments.

“Just a cold killa,” one fan reacted. “Keep killin em‼️ damn that bro. You nothing to play with and the whole league know this,” said another.

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Young is infamous for taunting fans while playing away from home which led to the “villain” tag. Multiple publications have dubbed him a “villain” over the years as well. But the point guard made it clear he does not like being termed as anything.