As the NBA offseason rages on, so do the talks around player contracts. One superstar who is up for a potential supermax deal is Trae Young. The 26-year-old could be in line for a four-year, $222 million extension with the Atlanta Hawks as he prepares to enter his eighth season. The big question is, should the franchise pay that kind of money for Young?
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It’s not that Young lacks talent, but what if the game is moving away from a player with his skill set, or more specifically, his height? That is what retired star Iman Shumpert seems to think.
Shumpert, who won the 2016 championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, spoke about Ice Trae on today’s episode of NBA Today on ESPN. He began his analysis by referencing a now-popular quote from Kevin Durant on Mind The Game, where KD predicted that the 6-foot point guard would eventually fade into a bench role.
“When Kevin Durant said the 6-foot point guard might be coming to an end? This is what I think he was talking about. Where you are saying, ‘Yes. Statistically, what he brings to the game of basketball, I get it,” said Shumpert, to set the stage. However, he immediately pointed out Trae’s height.
“What is he? 6’2”? It’s tough to say, ‘Can he switch onto a 5 at the end of the game? Can he guard a bigger guard? What are the other things that he can do besides score? Can he make a 2 guard a scoring champion?’ Those are the things that we are thinking about, and we are looking at when we are thinking about a smaller guard,” he continued.
These are very strong points. Young led the Hawks on a magical run in 2021, but they were eventually taken out by a Giannis-led Milwaukee Bucks team in the Conference Finals. One of the biggest issues the Hawks faced in that series was the size disadvantage, and they haven’t come close to a Conference Finals appearance since.
Shumpert is trying to look at the bigger picture for Atlanta, especially with the Eastern Conference potentially wide open next season after both the Celtics and Pacers lost significant star power. “You have to be thinking, ‘We have to change our game and change our style a little bit to make sure we are pitching ahead and moving the baton. If you don’t have 3-4 guys that are weapons on your team, if there’s only one head to cut off the snake, then it’s gonna be a tough day for them.”
Shumpert isn’t writing Trae off just yet. He still believes the young baller can be a major contributor to his team and remain the focal point of the offense. However, he also suggests that Young needs to adjust his mindset moving forward.
“It’s gonna have to be a decision in Trae’s mind of what he wants to be remembered for,” he asked rhetorically. “You have shown us all your gifts. You’ve shown us what you can do, and now to win and take the next step.”
Shumpert added a small disclaimer about how much money Young could potentially earn. “It’s not that we don’t care about the max, but if you got to take a couple million less, take a couple million less. Make sure your team is good.”
At the end of the day, Trae has been the only reason the Hawks have stayed relevant over the past few years. Now that the team has added players like Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Young finally has some weapons around him. The question is, will he help the team by taking a little less money?
