Since the Atlanta Hawks haven’t made the playoffs for the second year straight, the Trae Young trade rumors have begun.
However, NBA insider Chris Haynes says that the guard doesn’t want to be anywhere except Atlanta.
“(Young) said he’s in a good spot,” Haynes said. “He said he knew there was going to be speculation once the Hawks went to a younger core. Had the number one pick, he knew there was going to be speculation about his future. He said he bought in, he took the number one pick. Brought him to his hometown in Oklahoma to show him around and spend some time with him right after he was drafted to get him engaged. So, he’s somebody who, again, just told me a week, a week-and-a-half ago, that he’s down with the process. He wants to see this Atlanta Hawks squad turn the corner and he wants to be a pivotal part in that.”
Young’s five-year, $215 million contract is set to run through the 2026-27 season, but he has a player option that would allow him to become a free agent in 2026.
He is eligible to sign a new contract extension with the Hawks this summer.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn explained why a Kevin Durant for Young trade could be beneficial for both the Suns and the Hawks.
“If Phoenix wants a point guard to pair with Booker, there might be a three-way deal that sends Kevin Durant to his preferred destination and assets to the Hawks,” Quinn said. “A Young-Booker partnership makes more sense than it might seem on the surface.
“Phoenix’s core issue on offense was over-indexing on shot-making and under-indexing on shot-creation. Young can create easy shots. Booker can make hard ones. Put a decent defense around the two and you might not contend for championships, but could probably be at least somewhat respectable.”
