The Atlanta Hawks' season is over after a brutal 131-116 play-in tournament loss to the Chicago Bulls, and it's fair to wonder whether the Trae Young era has reached its conclusion as well.

At his career apex, Young was a playoff superstar who guided the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. He sports unlimited range and has routinely shouldered the playmaking duties for this team since landing in the NBA in 2018.

However, the Hawks have been regressing since that 2021 run, when they finished two wins from an NBA Finals appearance.

Atlanta needed to earn its way into the playoffs through the play-in tournament each of the past two seasons, but both of those campaigns ended with first-round losses to the No. 1 seed Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

Then the wheels really fell off in 2023-24. A host of injuries (notably to Young, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter) certainly didn't help, but the Hawks put forth a disastrous defensive effort all year (27th in rating). Their offensive efficiency (12th) wasn't nearly good enough to make up for it.

Atlanta finished 36-46, 10th in the Eastern Conference. On Wednesday, the Bulls ran the Hawks out of Chicago, with Coby White scoring a game-high 42 points. Young posted 22 points and 10 assists, but he committed seven turnovers, and the Hawks also finished at minus-27 with him on the floor.

Young did enjoy another productive season when healthy, making his third All-Star Game and posting 25.7 points and 10.8 assists. But his partnership with Dejounte Murray hasn't worked out well enough since the Hawks brought him over from the San Antonio Spurs two years ago.

In addition, Young has struggled on the defensive end for his entire NBA career, with a defensive rating of 118 and a negative defensive box plus/minus each of his six seasons.

The Hawks signed Young to a five-year, $207 million contract extension in 2021 after his great run, but with the team hovering around .500 over the past three years and now officially going in the wrong direction at 36-46, perhaps now is time for a change.

Young has at times been a sensational superstar for this team, and the Hawks have never gotten closer to an NBA Finals appearance with him leading the way. He was a playoff assassin in 2021 and has created great memories in Atlanta. It's been an incredible effort for someone who's never had a teammate make the All-Star team with the Hawks.

But trade rumors have been hovering around Young for some time now despite him being under contract for two more years (plus a 2026-27 player option).

Of note, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report wrote this week that "many sources around the NBA believe Young will be on the move this summer—assuming Atlanta can find a buyer," with the Los Angeles Lakers being a team believed to have serious interest.

With the Hawks' season officially over, all eyes turn toward the offseason to see if they make any big moves. At this juncture, it appears people feel a change of scenery is needed for Young and Atlanta as well. Young could certainly thrive in a new environment, perhaps as a second or third option for a championship-contending team. That isn't happening in Atlanta, though.

If it is over for Young in Atlanta, he'll leave the team after making three All-Star Games and the All-NBA Third Team in 2022. The former Oklahoma star also averaged 25.5 points and 9.5 assists along the way.