Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of what has been a highly frustrating 2023-24 campaign. The Hawks are currently entrenched in tenth place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and Young will be out of the lineup for at least the next two-plus weeks after recently undergoing surgery on his finger.
A huge topic of conversation among the fanbase in recent seasons has regarded Hawks owner Tony Ressler’s apparent unwillingness to dip into the luxury tax to improve his team. Recently, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin attempted to clear the air on an issue that is becoming increasingly difficult to excuse.
“Money is not an obstacle, it’s getting it done the right way and doing it the right way that’s much more difficult than meets the eye,” Koonin told 92.9 The Game (via 92.9 The Game on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter).
Recent history would seem to directly contradict Koonin’s assertion. In the past year and a half, the Hawks have traded two starting players for no other apparent reason than to save money, meanwhile trotting out lineups that aren’t competitive in the modern NBA.
Atlanta has refused to take on the NBA’s luxury tax throughout Ressler’s tenure, which has seen two straight exits in the first round following the team’s magical run to the Eastern Conference in the 2021 season. In an era where players are increasingly in control of their situation, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Trae Young request a trade as the team brass continues to sidestep legitimate questions about its spending.
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