Brian Windhorst: Trae Young’s trade value isn’t ‘as high as they’d like it to be’

Brian Windhorst: Trae Young’s trade value isn’t ‘as high as they’d like it to be’

Ever since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21, the last three seasons for the Atlanta Hawks have been perpetual mediocrity. They have gone 120-126 over the last three seasons with a minus-0.7 NET Rating over that span.

After trading away star guard Dejounte Murray after two seasons in Atlanta, the arrow isn’t necessarily pointed up for Atlanta. There’s been the argument that it should possibly consider flipping guard Trae Young instead of Murray, but according to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, his perceived trade value on the market isn’t as high as one might think.

“I’m not sure that Trae Young’s value is as high as they’d like it to be. So this is a real pivotal year as you say for Trae Young,” Windhorst said on the latest Hoops Collective episode. “After this season he can extend his contract and in the current environment first off we know that he’s on the ‘fun max,’ we know the next contract is ‘stress max’ time. It’s been dubbed the ‘stress max’ because it affects both sides; sometimes it’s the stress on the team whether they can get the player to sign and sometimes it’s stress on the player about whether he can get that second max.

“In this environment where under the new rules, where you’ve got to watch the dollars being spent, especially when you get to the 30 percent part of the max, Trae is going to have to have a big year, even if it’s to stay in Atlanta and sign a max. Is it going to be in Atlanta?”

This isn’t necessarily surprising. After all, it was leaked earlier in the offseason that certain teams valued Darius Garland–who signed an extension earlier this offseason–more than Young; the San Antonio Spurs were one team who was linked to both players, though it was rumored that they had “little interest” in acquiring Young.

He is entering the third year of a five-year max he signed ahead of the 2021-22 season. Young, who will turn 26-years-old in September, is on the books for $43 million with a $49 million player option on the last year of his current deal in 2026-27, according to Spotrac.

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It’s fair to question whether or not his next contract comes with the Hawks. It remains unclear whether or not general manager Landry Fields will reward him with an extension when that time comes; any team that does trade for him–if that’s the case–would presumably give him the extension, too.

He may be a significantly below-average defender, but Young is one of the most gifted playmakers in today’s game. That could matter with “pure” point guards becoming more extinct; you just have to find a way to have a really sound defensive structure around him.

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