It's pretty clear that the Trae Young dilemma isn't going away for the Atlanta Hawks anytime soon. They can choose to continue building around him or look to discreetly test the trade market, but the Hawks are still going to be thinking about the grim possibility of losing him for nothing during the 2026 free agency period.
Recently, ESPN's Zach Lowe argued that Atlanta should try to keep Young for the simple fact that he doesn't see there being a significant return out there from any team at the moment. All things considered, his position feels like the correct one.
Young is a star, that much isn't in question. He's one of the highest-level playmakers and off-the-dribble scorers in the backcourt in the association, and his talent remains underrated for a few different reasons. With that being said, his defensive troubles and the Hawks' lack of team success is going to hold Atlanta back from being able to get a massive package if they do gauge the market when it comes to moving him.
Atlanta may not be able to get franchise-changing value in return for Trae
The best-case scenario for Atlanta, whether it's realistic or not, is getting Young back in town at a slightly discounted rate. Lowe suggests a contract that stays flat in value as the years go, or possibly one that decreases in value.
Even if the front office is somehow able to work that deal out, it still becomes a situation where they risk Trae walking away in the future if the Hawks are unable to find success as a team. At that point, Atlanta would have sacrificed both Young's trade value and their own roster flexibility and would have ultimately gotten nothing in return.
If the Hawks go the other route and opt to sell low, it would be getting rid of arguably this franchise's biggest star since the 90's in Dominique Wilkins, without the expectation that they would get back a big package in return. There's not a lot of scenarios where Atlanta exits this circumstance as a big winner, it seems.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, everything that proceeds from the Atlanta Hawks' decision with Trae Young is going to define the next era of the organization. The best-case scenario is one where number 11 copies Giannis Antetokounmpo and doubles down on committing to Atlanta. Until that happens, fans are going to be left in limbo.