Atlanta Hawks Clinch Playoffs After Trading Trae Young

Merlin sees the Hawks punching their ticket back to the playoffs after a 124-102 win over Cleveland, moving to 46-35 and clinching their first postseason spot since 2022-23. Atlanta flipped a midseason script after trading Trae Young on Jan. 9 (they were 18-21 then) and rode breakout All-Star Jalen Johnson (22.6/10.3/7.9), a career year from Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20.9), and steady scoring from CJ McCollum to fuel a season-best 11-game win streak. Merlin notes the Hawks morphed into one of the league’s most potent offenses at 118.5 points per game and now face a test of depth and playoff composure without Young. Chemistry and scoring make them dangerous, but their true measure arrives when matchups tighten in April.