Trae Young has not found much playoff success since his maiden trip to the Conference Finals four years ago. For the last two seasons, he has been unable to lead the Hawks past the Play-in tournament. Sure enough, the constant disappointment has led to major doubts regarding Trae’s credibility as the face of the franchise. There are even speculations that the Hawks could trade him this summer. But veteran insider Zach Lowe believes trading Young might not be the best path forward!
Addressing the buzz, Lowe said, “I kind of want the Hawks to keep Trae Young long term. I don’t think there’s a great market for him, so I don’t think there’s a trade out there that completely just reorients the franchise in a positive way.” Well, Trae still has two years left on his current deal, with a $48.9 million player option for 2026-27. He is eligible to sign a four-year $229 million extension this summer.
Although Lowe wants the Hawks to keep Young, he doesn’t think the superstar’s salary should exceed his current numbers, “If I am them, I am being like ‘Look, we’ll extend you, but it’s gotta be one of these, it’s flat or it comes down and it’s flat. Like we’re not giving you the max.’ If I can extend him at a decent number, I just kind of like their team.” If Trae agrees to ink a lower value deal, the Hawks will be better equipped to build their roster and hopefully become title contenders soon. And Lowe believes Trae can be at the centre of that plan if he makes some key changes to his playing style.
“I kind of want the Hawks to keep Trae Young long term.”@ZachLowe_NBA makes the case for why the Hawks should NOT trade Trae Young. pic.twitter.com/TMEvjXnmE0
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 10, 2025
“I do think he changed his style of play a little bit. I think there’s hope for like a Trae Young mid-career ‘metamorphosis’ is too strong of a word, but I could see like in a year, it’s like ‘Oh my God. The Hawks are like up 2-1 in the second round and Trae Young is moving off the ball a little bit.’ I could see it. That’s what I would do because I don’t think there’s three first round picks and a prospect or anything like that for Trae Young on the market right now.” Lowe added. Yes, the Hawks have a solid young roster, who if developed correctly, can do serious damage in the East. All Trae needs to do is take a minor pay cut and tweak his game, per Lowe’s advice.
(Developing Story)
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