The Atlanta Hawks have seen Trae Young embrace and overcome various challenges throughout his career, but his latest effort presents a notable quandary for the front office.
Young is leading the league in assists, is finally being recognized for his effort on defense, and has averaged 27.8 points and 11.9 assists since February 1. He is tied with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson as the sixth-leading scorer in the NBA during that span.
However, there is trouble off in the distance. It is a good thing but must be addressed.
“He feels pretty alone in terms of the creation that he’s responsible for. But I will say that with Dyson Daniels, Zacch [Risacher], with Jalen Johnson with, Onyeka Okongwu, with some of these other guys they have moving forward, and Terance Mann. I actually like the idea of what they’re doing, and I think that this is the right roster build for a Trae Young team,” The Atletic’s Sam Vecenie told Motor City Hoops’ Bryce Simon on the “Game Theory Podcast” on March 9.
“If they ever decided to move Trae Young, they would get a lot of assets for Trey Young depending on what he says he’s going to do once his contract starts kind of getting close to the window here. And we’re not that far off of Trae, potentially if he wanted – I’m not saying he’s going to, I’m not saying that he ever will do this. But if he wanted to make some noise, he has one year left on that deal before a player option in 2026-27. This summer could get complicated.”
This is not the first Young’s upcoming contract situation has come up. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted the looming “stress” Young’s next deal could bring on “The Hoop Collective” in August 2024, calling his current five-year, $215.1 million pact the “fun max.”
In February, ESPN’s Bobby Marks – who spent two decades in the Brooklyn Nets’ front office – also pointed out the potential $229 million extension Young will be eligible for this offseason.
And his strong play could lead to more accolades and, inevitably, more money.
Hawks in potential win-win situation with Trae Young
“Here’s the other thing about Atlanta: they either have to pay Trae Young a serious max – not a smaller max. They have to pay him a real deal, like 30-to-35% – the max contract depending on if he can make all NBA next year, or they have to probably move on, right? It gets a little bit trickier, I think, for them sure moving forward.”
Per Cleaning The Glass, Young is tied with Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham for the sixth-best on-off differential among players with at least 2,000 qualifying minutes. Among the five players ahead of him are MVP candidates Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Young has already applied pressure to the Hawks, saying on his podcast that he was no longer in a rebuilding phase in his career.
However, that is a long way from demanding a trade or opting out of his contract in 2026.
Young’s name was mentioned in speculative trade chatter, but he has never wavered from wanting to win in Atlanta with the Hawks. They have a 2.0-game lead on the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed.
That would grant them a home game in the Play-In Tournament. They remain 5.0 games back of the Pistons for the six-seed.
However, a one-game path to the playoffs is better than having to play two.
It could also show Young just how close the Hawks are despite being so young as a team, flipping key contributors at the deadline, and losing Johnson, fellow former first-round draft pick Kobe Bufkin, and potentially veteran Larry Nance Jr. for the season.
The decision may not be an easy one for Hawks general manager Landry Fields, but he is operating from an otherwise enviable position. He has a star in hand but could land a haul in return for him.