On Friday, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst reported that extension talks between the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young haven't progressed. He can sign an extension up until June 30, and if he doesn't, he could decline his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season to become an unrestricted free agent.
Windhorst wrote that the reason talks haven't progressed between the two sides is that "it's hard to determine a market value for Young." Atlanta wants to see what happens over the next few months with Young before committing money to him. It's a risky stance to take, since he could leave the Hawks with nothing if they don't trade him beforehand.
Atlanta is currently getting an idea of what the team looks like without Young, who is out for the next few weeks with an MCL sprain. As Windhorst said, the Hawks' offense performing poorly without Young would give him leverage in extension talks. On the other hand, if Atlanta manages well without him, it could send the organization in a different direction.
The Hawks went 2-1 in their last three games without Young, and beat the Nets in the game in which he hurt his knee in the first quarter.
Extension talks between the Hawks and Trae Young haven't progressed
Atlanta constructed its offseason by trading for and signing players that complement Young, such as acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an elite defender. The only thing the Hawks didn't do in Young's favor over the offseason was sign him to an extension, which is only somewhat important.
A star player feeling like they may no longer be wanted by the team that they've spent their career with isn't an ideal situation, but that's the message that Atlanta sent Young by not extending him before the start of the season. That doesn't mean that Young won't stay with the Hawks, but there is enough doubt creeping in to wonder what his next steps will be.
Atlanta hoped to get a good idea of what its current roster looks like with Young during the first half of the season, but his injury threw a wrench into that plan. Now, the Hawks will see how the team fares without him. A four-game sample isn't enough.
The leading consensus among the fan base is to pay Young, with one of the main reasons being that there is no other available point guard out there who can give Atlanta what Young has. That might not be enough for him to stay, though.