Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks have reached an important crossroads, and one former executive believes the organization will prioritize their balance sheet.
The Hawks are hiring two new figures – Bryson Graham and Peter Dinwiddie – for their front office. Both will report to general manager Onsi Saleh, who is now officially in charge of making the next biggest question facing the organization: what to do with Young.
Young is entering Year 3 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract.
However, he is eligible to sign an extension this offseason and has a player option for 2026-27, the latter of which, in a way, puts him on an expiring deal.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks, a former member of the Brooklyn Nets’ front office for two decades, argued that Young is deserving of the four-year, $229 million extension he is eligible to sign this offseason (starting on July 6) “on the surface.”
Marks cited Young’s league-leading 11.0 assists per game and fourth-quarter prowess last year.
The executive also noted that the Hawks’ have moved to a more future-focused approach in the last year.
Marks estimates a “compromise” like a three-year, $120 millin pact is the most-likely scenario in which Young lands an extension this offseason, saying it is “hard to see” the Hawks giving him the max he can receive.
Young’s individual performance was not beyond reproach.
Hawks have 'counterargument' to Trae Young extension
“The counterargument to a new contract is pinned to roster construction and comfort level to committing long term to Young,” Marks wrote on June 9. “Young shot a career low 53% at the rim and had the second-worst effective field goal percentage of his career. He also led the league in turnovers with 355.”
However, Marks also suggested that the market will significantly impact Young’s future in Atlanta.
“Another factor to consider is the limited trade partners available if Atlanta were to make Young available,” Marks wrote. “The only teams with significant vacancies in their backcourt are Brooklyn and Sacramento.”
Notably, Dinwiddie arrives with a strong track record of being involved in significant deals.
Graham was part of numerous efforts that unearthed diamonds in the rough and was in the front office when the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Dyson Daniels, who is also extension-eligible.
What that means for Young is unclear, but Saleh’s background is as a strategist and counsel, neither of which inspires visions of blockbuster moves to acquire stars. It obviously cannot be ruled out.
All three of the (presumably) most prominent voices in the front office are new to their roles.
Adding to the urgency, Young spoke candidly about the Oklahoma City Thunder being in the NBA Finals this year firing him up.
“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren L. Williams ahead of Game 1 in comments published on June 5. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now.”
The Hawks were in the mix for the No. 5 seed late into last season.
Will the promise of another leap, preferably keyed by improved health from Jalen Johnson, be enough to satiate Young if his contract situation lingers? The answer to that question could provide the final push the Hawks need to decide the four-time All-Star’s fate.