Why Does Trae Young Deserve a Contract Extension in Atlanta?

Doncic was traded by Dallas as a result of new ownership not wanting to pay him the super max of $350 million after taking them to the NBA Finals the year prior. The Hawks are in a similar situation as they have a new front office in place, and the team has not offered Young an extension. The idea is that Young and the Hawks will discuss a deal further after the season is finished, in which Young has a player option he could opt into next summer if he isn't offered an extension again by Atlanta.

The important thing to state is that players like Trae Young don't come around often in the Atlanta Hawks, and the only other player who would be an equivalent to Trae is Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins' tenure with the Hawks ended with him being traded after 12 years in Atlanta, when they were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. At the time, and even until this day, Hawks fans are still angry about the trade happening and haven't found a good enough replacement until Young arrived in Atlanta in 2018.

Now that we have gone over the backstory that has led us to this spot we are in today, let's take a look at a list of reasons why Young deserves his extension in Atlanta:

1. Lack of team building and offensive output despite this problem

Since Young has come into the NBA, the Hawks have been over-reliant on him to bail them out offensively, to the point where they have a top-five offense when he's on the court and it drops significantly when he's off. One of the glaring instances of this was when the Hawks played the Miami Heat in the 2022 playoffs, and Young was trapped, forcing others to beat them, which did not happen. This led to the Hawks making a poor move in trading for Dejounte Murray and further worsening the team, leading to them finally making big moves in the final years of Young's contract. After the Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021, Atlanta hasn't made many moves, which in turn has led to Young contemplating leaving Atlanta. One could argue it isn't brilliant to wait until the final years of your star's contract to finally make moves and force it all on him to lead you somewhere to earn an extension.

2. Marketability and franchise face

Even though the Hawks play in a major market city, they have struggled to get household-name star talent aside from Young and Wilkins. Both players have transcended the American market and have been the face of the Hawks franchise, which isn't easy to come by for any team, as you need to have players who are genuinely marketable for fans to turn to. Young is also a former signature shoe athlete, as well as Wilkins, who most players, unless you're a star, get, and that isn't someone who grows on trees to receive. You can find players who will put up big numbers, but at the end of the day, stars are what put butts in the seats, and without Young, I genuinely don't know who would come and replace what he brings to Atlanta.

3. Still improving and under 30 years old

Despite his lack of size, which was a concern when Young first came into the NBA, he has found ways to stand out compared to his counterparts. Young has led the NBA in both points and assists, which is not common for an undersized guard, and has recently been a double-double machine, averaging 10 or more assists per game the last three seasons. This past season, he set a career high in assists at nearly 12 a game, with 11.6, which was the NBA's highest assist per game and led the NBA in points off assists at 2,191. Despite the Hawks not having another player who has averaged 20 or more points this season, Young is the team's only true playmaker, who makes his teammates better.

4. Lack of alternatives

If nobody is coming to save the Hawks with Young on the roster, then what makes people think that someone will go after he leaves? The Hawks' front office is new, and they are trying to prove to other players that they are serious about winning. Trading Young while starting that process wouldn't be very smart, as the franchise has shown they can't get true star-level players that can have them taken seriously as a contender. If you continue to add pieces around Young, he has shown he can take your organization places, and if your team continues to win, it will make players look at you differently and make them want to come there. Part of the reason the Hawks haven't traded Young is that there aren't any outstanding returns besides draft capital, which still isn't guaranteeing a long-term solution to a big problem.

With Young having the right pieces around him, he is the kind of star player that you continue to build around and extend with no questions asked. Atlanta has its franchise guy in Trae, and it is now time to give him the contract extension he rightfully deserves as he wants to stay put in Atlanta.

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