Despite Calling Trae Young a ‘Defensive Liability,’ Rachel Nichols Shares Excitement About Hawks’ 2025–26 Roster

With the might of the Eastern Conference thinned out due to injuries sustained by key players on otherwise strong teams like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, a spot has opened for a new king. The Atlanta Hawks, led by Trae Young, are looking to claim it, having considerably improved their roster.

General Manager Onsi Saleh has done his part, bringing in talents like Kristaps Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Yes, there’s some controversy, as Young still hasn’t been offered a contract extension. But the delay freed up cap space, allowing Saleh to build a more balanced team.

Two people who can’t contain their excitement about the Hawks heading into the 2025/26 season are analysts Rachel Nichols and Chris Mannix. The duo recently discussed Atlanta on their Sports Illustrated talk show.

“I think the Atlanta Hawks had a very good offseason,” began Mannix. “I love what Onsi Saleh is doing with Atlanta. Just going all in on this season. No extension for Trae Young, who has a player-option next summer. They have created a roster that, if Trae Young is who he purports to be, can win the Eastern Conference.” 

Nichols was just as ecstatic. “I think they’re way underrated,” she stated before revealing that she followed the team closely last offseason when she was assigned to write a piece on Young. This led her to offer both criticism and praise for Trae in the span of a single sentence.

“Yes, obviously, he will always be a defensive liability. He’s just too small not to be. But if you look at the ways he has shaped and molded his game in recent seasons. People look, ‘Oh, his scoring is down.’ His scoring is down because he is passing the ball,” Nichols pointed out.

Nichols wasn’t wrong. The Hawks may have missed the postseason last year after their Play-In loss to the Miami Heat, but that didn’t stop Young from having a sneaky good statistical season. “He led the NBA in assists, and not by a little bit. It was a record amount of leading the NBA in assists,” she continued.

Mannix and Nichols bring up good points. While a lot of NBA talk this offseason has been around Cooper Flagg or LeBron James, the 4D chess moves made by Saleh have flown under the radar. The Hawks might bounce back from a considerably disappointing season to be a team to watch out for in the East.

As for Young, he may still be sour with the franchise since they haven’t given him the four-year, $229 million extension he’s eligible for yet, but this kind of help will definitely take the pressure off him to carry the team. His money will come. A chance to win a title? Those windows are limited.

Plus, if he doesn’t sign a deal this season and makes an All-NBA team in 2025–26, he would be eligible for a five-year, $345 million supermax extension. Not a bad reason to wait, eh, Trae?

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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