The Atlanta Hawks controversially declined to extend Trae Young before the offseason – a decision that has aged like fine wine.
Young has been Atlanta’s leader for the past eight seasons, both on and off the court. After a tantalizing 2021 playoff run, Young received a five-year maximum extension with a player option. The team made a series of excellent moves to support Young with talent, from drafting Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu to moving off Dejounte Murray and De’Andre Hunter at the perfect time.
These brilliant moves culminated in this season, when Young finally had the supporting talent to prove his worth to the league. Unfortunately, he never actually got this chance.
Whether Young is worth a max or not, the decision not to extend was brilliant
We still don’t truly know if Young is capable of elevating this team to a championship, which sounds strange considering we are nearly halfway through the season. Young has played just 10 games this season, and only three of these came alongside Kristaps Porzingis. This means Young has just a three-game sample with a complete roster around him.
Atlanta’s fall from grace has been well documented, but most analysts have a flawed perception of Young’s impact on the team. They simply are not factoring in just how detrimental it is to have one center on the roster (who stands a mere 6’8). It doesn’t take a data analyst to look at the numbers and see that the Hawks’ problems are not directly related to Young – his job is to run the offense, and the team offense has been much better with Young available.
However, rival teams have taken notice of Atlanta’s struggles with Young on the court. While Hawks fans might have patience to give their star point guard, opposing GMs see a prime opportunity to buy low. Consequently, they are low-balling the Hawks. Some question whether Atlanta can even trade him without sacrificing a first round pick – despite only being on contract for up to 1.5 years.
Had the Hawks given Young another massive extension, it would be impossible to trade him without sacrificing significant draft capital. His contract would have become an albatross, similar to the recently waived Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.
Again, Young could actually be worth a max extension. Until we see him alongside a competent team, however, it is impossible to know what he is worth. Luckily for the Hawks, Young is still on a palatable deal that teams are willing to trade for.