Trae Young is signed through 2027. That might not stop him from demanding a trade.
Chris Haynes reports that NBA executives think Atlanta’s Young “could be the next player on a rookie max extension to request a trade if the team doesn’t make inroads come postseason time.”
Atlanta (16-16) is 9th in the Eastern Conference standings, the same place they finished last season. The Hawks won two play-in games and then got trounced by Miami in the first round, 4-1. After trading three first-round picks for All-Star Dejounte Murray, Atlanta expected more from this season.
Yesterday, Hawks’ president Travis Schlenk stepped down to take an advisory role. Schlenk built the current Hawks team, drafting or trading for everyone on the current roster, including Young. Now, 34-year-old GM Landry Fields is in charge of basketball operations.
Young hasn’t seemed happy, fighting with head coach Nate McMillan in a year where the Hawks have had “multiple team meetings” to address different locker room issues. However, a big reason for Atlanta’s struggles this season is Young’s own play.
He’s still scoring 27.6 points per game, but Young is shooting 30.7 percent from three-point range and 41.1 percent from the field. Atlanta was second in the NBA in offensive rating last year. This season, they’re 19th.
Atlanta’s first priority is to trade power forward John Collins, who has seemingly been in trade rumors for half his career.
Will that will be enough to appease Atlanta’s young star? It depends on how Atlanta does in the playoffs. Despite being signed through 2027 (Young has an opt-out after the 2025-26 season), a long-term max contract is no longer a deterrent to a trade demand. Even if the player demanding the trade is part of the problem.
