The Atlanta Hawks have consistently relied on Trae Young since his arrival at the franchise back in 2018. Last season, he led the league in assists(11.6), averaged 24.2 points per game while shooting at almost 50% from the field, and earned his fourth overall and second consecutive All-Star nod.
Young is eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension that will rise to $345 million if he earns another All-Star selection next season. And yet, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon believes that his long-term future may be away from Atlanta.
“The long-term outlook for Trae Young in Atlanta is murky at the minimum at this point. This is the guy who has been the face of the Atlanta Hawks for seven years..there are question marks about whether this is going to, you know, be a long-term marriage,” he said per HoopsHype, which presents an interesting scenario for competing teams.
Young had only recently spoken to ClutchPoints about how he expects the Hawks “to compete for something” in the upcoming season after making major changes this offseason. Atlanta has added Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson, Luke Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker already and do appear to be the strongest they have been since years, at least on paper.
However, the financials behind Young’s extension may be the source of the uncertainty, with the Hawks having last made the playoffs in the 2022-23 campaign with the 26-year-old at the helm.
As things stand, things could get interesting in the coming time. If Atlanta does not want to offer him the extension he is eligible for, the player will enter the next offseason with multiple options.
He can take on the player option for the 2026-27 campaign or negotiate a multi-year deal with Atlanta then, considering a number of teams can be expected to be interested in him. The upcoming campaign and how well the Hawks are able to compete in the East may play a major role in determining the direction in which this saga goes.
