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Report: Trae Young could apply pressure on Hawks this offseason

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Alex Lord | Last updated 5/14/24

The Hawks offseason took a complete 180 on Sunday.

Atlanta ended up winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history, and it’s given the organization a semblance of hope that once seemed devoid of any. The Hawks still have an inexperienced front office led by Landry Fields, but at the very least, the club has options. There are plenty of avenues Atlanta can take to make themselves contenders in a wide open Eastern Conference.

One that is completely unacceptable is keeping Trae Young and not putting a competitive roster around him. If the Hawks do intend on keeping their superstar, Fields and ownership must do everything in their power to improve the team as much as possible.

If not, Trae Young will rightfully start to put pressure on Tony Ressler and the organization, according to Shams Charania.

If Trae Young doesn’t feel the Hawks are planning to put a competitive team around him this offseason, there will be serious conversations about his future with the organization, per @ShamsCharania on @RunItBackFDTV.

Dialogue between Young and the Hawks is expected to begin this… pic.twitter.com/1iUr9lrQ8p

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 13, 2024

Trae Young has been singing a different tune lately. About a month ago after the Hawks were eliminated from the play-in tournament, he said winning is his top priority, adding that if it can’t happen in Atlanta, change is in the future.

It’s opened up the possibility that he could force his way out, and he’d have every right to do so. At each turn, Tony Ressler has failed to pony up for luxury tax purposes while also effectively running the best general manager the organization has ever had out of town in Travis Schlenk.

There’s no guarantee that the top draft pick is going to be better than Trae Young. The Hawks need to do everything in their power to build a true contender around #11. If they don’t, Young deserves to go somewhere he can win.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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