Trae Young Trade Reportedly Denied by Kings Due to Contract, Style of Play amid Rumors
As the Atlanta Hawks figure out their long-term direction with Trae Young eligible to sign a contract extension this offseason, the Sacramento Kings internally kicked the tires on potentially going after the four-time All-Star.
Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, Kings officials ultimately decided to pass on pursuing Young due to concerns about how much an extension would cost and his offense-first style of play.
Young's future in Atlanta could be a key storyline to follow this summer. He is owed $46 million next season with a $49 million player option for 2026-27.
The Hawks can sign Young to a four-year extension worth up to $228.6 million. New general manager Onsi Saleh hasn't indicated they are looking to move on from Young, but his comments at a press conference on Monday may have been telling about where things stand between the two sides.
"We’re locked in with Trae," said Saleh. "We’re just locked in for next season, ready to move forward, be the best team that we could possibly be moving forward."
Saleh may have been speaking in technicalities, but there is an opportunity for the Hawks to keep their long-term financial outlook clean if they don't extend Young. They also have to decide about a new deal for Kristaps Porziņģis, who is being acquired from the Boston Celtics.
Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu are the only Hawks players with guaranteed contracts in 2026-27. Dyson Daniels seems like a safe bet to get an extension this summer.
The Kings desperately need to add a point guard this summer after trading De'Aaron Fox to the Sacramento Kings in February.
Malik Monk ran the offense for the remainder of the season, but he's best suited as a two-guard. That's a problem because the Kings also have Zach LaVine on the roster.
Sacramento is already loaded with offense-first players, including Monk, LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. Adding a player like Young to that nucleus wouldn't solve the defensive problems this team had last season.
The Kings finished 23rd in defensive rating in 2024-25. There aren't a lot of great point guards available in free agency who can make a positive impact as a defender, but they also won't cost nearly as much as Young would in terms of capital needed to pull off a trade and money that he will require to sign him.
