Trae Young essentially pledged his allegiance to Atlanta and, by proxy, the Hawks in a post that also vowed he would not miss the postseason again in his career.
Even with some creative license, Young’s sentiments could prove lofty.
Former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger, now a senior writer for The Athletic, offered insight that throws Young’s future back into some level of doubt, even if only slightly. Hollinger called Young the “most important decision” the Hawks’ future new lead exec will face.
The former exec pointed to Young’s contract situation, positive value, that the 26-year-old guard led the league in assists (per game; Young has led in total assists twice before).
The Hawks’ offense also still struggles without him. Then came the “but.”
“He’s not a top-15 player in the league, so is he good enough to be the centerpiece of a contending team? Or is he just the kind of player who offers a floor of 36 wins and a ceiling of 42?” Hollinger wrote on April 22. “He’s a 6-foot-1, speed-dependent guard whom they’d be paying into his late 20s on an extension, and the league legislated away some of his best tricks.”
“Is that worth going out multiple years on a max extension? Or is it time to cut bait, recoup some value and build around the other young guys in Atlanta, even if the Hawks don’t control their picks?”
Young would certainly draw interest on the trade market, though it is unclear if he will be made available or what the Hawks could even expect to get in return.
Trae Young trade speculation ‘picked up’ amid dour valuation
“Chatter has picked up that the Hawks might choose the latter course. However, it takes two to tango in any trade. The confounding issue in any Young scenario is that the market for him doesn’t seem to be all that hot,” Hollinger wrote. “If the Hawks were hoping for a Mikal Bridges or Rudy Gobert-level return for Young, it’s probably not happening. It might be more in Brandon Ingram territory. Are they at a point where they’re OK with that?”
The New Orleans Pelicans traded Ingram, who was linked ot the Hawks before acquiring Dejounte Murray, to the Toronto Raptors for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk while generating a trade exception.
Toronto also inked Ingram to a three-year, $120 million extension.
Young is eligible for an extension worth up to $229 million this offseason. He has only ever said that he wants to remain with the Hawks. And despite rumblings about the Hawks exploring trade options with the four-time All-Star last offseason, Young said he knew he was staying in Atlanta.
“My name had been thrown around in trade rumors and things like that, obviously, last summer and all these things. But I had been, obviously, in communication with the front office, so I knew what was going to be happening,” Young told Chris Haynes on “The Haynes Briefs Podcast” on April 8. “I knew I wasn’t going to leave, and things like that. And I was going to have to, obviously sacrifice, maybe, and just try to bring on these younger guys as much as I could.”