The Atlanta Hawks are approaching a crossroads with Trae Young. Next season marks the final guaranteed year of Young’s contract before he holds a player option for the 2026-27 season.
Since their Eastern Conference Finals run in 2020-21, the Hawks have been in NBA purgatory. They haven't made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2021, and they are currently in danger of missing the postseason for the third straight year.
Atlanta’s current roster is simply not built to contend with the Eastern Conference’s best teams. To make it worse, the Hawks do not control their next four first-round draft picks, limiting their ability to rebuild through the draft.
Given these challenges, speculation has grown that Young may become discontent with the franchise. While the Hawks are far from contention, Young has reportedly remained focused on winning:
Trae Young’s future with Atlanta Hawks is becoming murky. pic.twitter.com/7PPSdBGzLz
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 6, 2025
With so much uncertainty in Atlanta, the organization must carefully consider their next move with Young. The franchise has three primary options.
Option 1: Extend Trae Young this summer
The most straightforward path would be to offer Young an extension. He will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million deal this offseason, which would make him the highest-paid point guard in the NBA. Locking up your franchise player seems like the obvious choice, right?
Not necessarily. Despite Young being one of the premier guards in the league and an elite offensive player, his efficiency has dipped this season. He is posting career-worst numbers in field goal percentage and turnovers while his three-point shooting has also regressed. Additionally, he has long been regarded as one of the NBA’s worst defenders.
Beyond concerns about Young's performance being worthy of $200+ million, an extension for Young put Atlanta in an unfavorable position. Jalen Johnson is set to earn $30 million next season, and Dyson Daniels will likely earn a significant extension this summer. While the Hawks could afford to keep all three, doing so would severely limit their ability to maintain and build a good supporting cast.
Barring major roster changes, committing another massive contract to Young could hinder the team’s ability to construct a balanced, championship-caliber roster.
Option 2) Deal Trae Young sooner rather than later
While Young remains under contract through at least next season, the Hawks would benefit from getting ahead of the situation. If Atlanta believes Young will eventually request a trade, moving him before this becomes public knowledge would allow them to maximize his trade value.
The Hawks already have a promising young core in place. Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Dyson Daniels, and Jalen Johnson are all under 25, and most of them are on team-friendly contracts. Trading Young could allow Atlanta to improve their roster with additional role players and replenish its collection of first-round draft picks.
One trade partner could be the Orlando Magic. Orlando desperately needs a point guard and three-point shooting, both of which Young would provide. The Magic have the assets to make an offer that works for both parties. A potential trade package could look like this:
For the Hawks, this deal would provide the best of both worlds: they would acquire valuable young talent, regain control of future draft assets, and create financial flexibility for the future.
Option 3: Let the situation play out
The third option would be the "wait-and-see" approach. Young still has another guaranteed year on his contract, and the Hawks could see how the next season unfolds before making a move.
If Young remains committed to Atlanta and they somehow find a way to improve their roster, the extension would be a no-brainer. Alternatively, if Atlanta is still directionless by next off-season, the Hawks and Young could follow a similar path to James Harden's departure from Philadelphia.
When Harden wanted to leave the 76ers, he picked up his player option rather than signing with another team. This move allowed the 76ers to trade him instead of losing him for nothing in free agency. Eventually, the 76ers found a suitable trade with the Clippers, ultimately maximizing their return for Harden.
Of course, relying on this method would carry significant risk. There is no guarantee that Young would cooperate with Atlanta in the same way Harden did with Philadelphia. By gambling on the situation, Atlanta could open the possibility of losing their franchise star for no return. Moreover, if Young had a poor campaign in the 2025-2026 season - or went down with injury - Atlanta would get a much worse return.