By Jalon DixonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberOutspoken former NBA veteran Patrick Beverley finds himself back in headlines after reigniting his long-running feud with Trae Young, using the Atlanta Hawks’ decision to trade their former franchise star as fresh ammunition in the ongoing war of words.
Nearly two months after Young was dealt to the Washington Wizards, Beverley resurfaced on social media with a pointed message questioning the guard’s value around the league. The veteran guard took to X (formerly Twitter) to suggest the trade validated criticisms he had made about Young months earlier.
“Wait wait. Looky looky what happen?? Aww ok I guess I wasn’t wrong!! And why didn’t a contending team want him? And why did ATL trade franchise?” Beverley wrote.
The remark immediately revived one of the NBA’s more entertaining modern rivalries, a back-and-forth that began in late 2025 and has continued to simmer even after Young’s departure from Atlanta.
Trade Sparks Fresh Debate Around Young
...The Hawks’ decision to move Young in January 2026 surprised many around the league. For eight seasons, Young had been the face of the franchise. The four-time All-Star carried Atlanta offensively and produced elite individual numbers while establishing himself as one of the NBA’s premier playmakers.
His most memorable stretch came during the 2021 playoffs, when he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals while averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game in the postseason.
Yet Atlanta never fully built sustained playoff success around him. The Hawks reached the postseason only three times during Young’s tenure and last appeared in the playoffs in 2023, when they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round.
In the years that followed, Young continued to post strong statistical seasons, but the Hawks failed to return to the postseason. That stagnation ultimately led Atlanta to pivot toward a new direction, trading Young to Washington in exchange for veteran guards CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
The modest return for a player with Young’s résumé quickly became a talking point around the league and appeared to validate Beverley’s long-standing criticisms.
MORE: Jonathan Kuminga Update Reveals Harsh Reality of the Porzingis Trade
How the Rivalry Began
...The tension between Beverley and Young began with comments about effort during the NBA All-Star Game. Beverley initially criticized the league’s stars for what he described as a lack of competitiveness during the exhibition. Young responded by pushing back publicly and encouraging the veteran guard to let the players speak for themselves. From there, the disagreement escalated.
Beverley questioned Young’s leadership credentials and pointed to his limited postseason résumé compared with other star players. He also claimed people within the Hawks organization had concerns about Young’s influence inside the locker room.
During one of his critiques, Beverley said he had heard similar complaints from individuals around the team.
“I've talked to people who played in Atlanta. They don't wanna play there. They don't think he's a good leader. They don't think he's a good teammate. This is not coming from me. It's coming from Joe Blow over here,” Beverley said.
He then doubled down on the broader point about legacy and winning.
“Trae, you can score all the points you want. You can make all the money you want. You can have all the leading assists you want. You can do all that. If you don't win, that s—t won't matter. If you don't win, when you're retired, they're gonna forget your name fast, too.”
Young responded to the criticism in a nearly 12-minute YouTube video earlier this season, pushing back against the claims and defending both his leadership and his career trajectory.
MORE: NBA Insider Vindicates Lakers’ Quiet Deadline With Giannis Update
A New Chapter, But the Same Rivalry
The trade to Washington represents a new chapter for Young’s career, but it has not ended the rivalry with Beverley. Atlanta has since shifted toward a younger core featuring Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jonathan Kuminga, signaling a franchise reset after the Young era.
Meanwhile, Young now joins a Wizards team searching for direction after making the playoffs just once in the past eight seasons. For Beverley, however, the move simply provided another opportunity to keep the feud alive.
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