The Atlanta Hawks have a Trae Young problem, and it is about to define their offseason.
Atlanta’s front office has been pushing Young to reject his $49 million player option and sign a longer-term extension at a lower per-year number. Young wants nothing to do with that conversation. Multiple teams are now circling, including the Miami Heat, who reportedly view Young as their Plan B if they cannot land Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This is the kind of contract standoff that turns into a trade. Young has been the face of the Hawks for seven years. He has made All-NBA teams, led playoff runs, and put Atlanta basketball back on the map. He has also been the source of constant friction with three different front office regimes.
The current front office under Onsi Saleh has been more honest about the situation than its predecessors. Atlanta is not committing to Young long-term unless the contract gets significantly more team-friendly than what he is currently asking. That puts both sides at an impasse.
The Heat angle is the most interesting. Miami has been laser-focused on Antetokounmpo for over a year, but the team needs a backup plan. Young would not be a perfect fit next to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, but he would be a star who immediately upgrades the offensive ceiling.
The defensive concerns with Young in a Heat system are real. Erik Spoelstra has built his defensive scheme around active, switchable wings and centers. Young is a defensive liability who teams attack relentlessly in the playoffs. The Heat have made the playoffs every year of the Adebayo-Spoelstra era with one common denominator, which is that they always had multiple wing defenders.
The other suitor pursuing Young is the San Antonio Spurs, but only if they decide to move De’Aaron Fox. The Spurs have made it clear they are keeping Fox, so this scenario is unlikely. Still, the Wembanyama-Young pairing on paper is intriguing because of the offensive ceiling.
Atlanta’s decision is essentially binary. Either trade Young for a package centered on draft picks and young players, or commit to him as the face of the franchise and pay him market value. The middle ground does not exist.
The case for trading Young is that the Hawks have not won enough with him. Atlanta has made the playoffs in five of his seven seasons but has only advanced past the second round once, in 2021. The roster around him has not been good enough, and the front office has not built it well, but the results are the results.
The case for keeping Young is that he is one of the best offensive guards in the league. He averaged 26.4 points and 11.2 assists last year. He is 27 years old and just entering his prime. Trading him without getting a star back is a step backward.
The most likely trade scenario involves the Suns. Phoenix has been desperate to upgrade its roster after a frustrating playoff exit. Devin Booker plus Young would be a backcourt that could score 70 points a night. The catch is the Suns have almost no draft capital, which is what Atlanta wants in any trade.
The Hawks front office has reportedly told teams that the asking price for Young is two unprotected first-round picks, a young player on a rookie contract, and salary filler. That is a steep price for a guard with defensive issues and a $49 million player option.
For Young personally, this is also a moment of decision. He has the leverage to push for a trade if he wants, but he has not publicly signaled any unhappiness with Atlanta. The relationship with new head coach Quin Snyder has reportedly been positive, and Young has said multiple times that he wants to win in Atlanta.
The Hawks fanbase is split. Some see Young as the only star the franchise has been able to develop in the modern era. Others see him as a player who has not delivered enough playoff success to justify a max contract. Both views have merit.
The honest read on this situation is that something has to give within the next 30 days. Young will either exercise his player option and create another year of uncertainty, or he will sign an extension at a number that works for both sides, or he will be traded before training camp.
Bet on the trade. The Hawks have telegraphed the move for months. The Heat are circling. The Suns are aggressive. The Spurs are watching. By August 1, Trae Young will be in a new uniform.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
