Hawks at a Crossroads: Jalen Johnson’s Rise Puts Trae Young’s Future in Question

As the 2025–26 season approaches its midpoint, the Atlanta Hawks occupy one of the NBA’s more confusing positions. They are competitive enough to hover around the play-in picture, yet far from convincing as a long-term threat in the Eastern Conference.

Much of that ambiguity stems from the unexpected ascent of Jalen Johnson. The 6-foot-8 forward, drafted outside the lottery, has developed into a true do-it-all presence who scores at all three levels, facilitates offense, and defends multiple positions.

The front office has supported that breakout with complementary pieces, adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency and acquiring Dyson Daniels via trade. The result is a roster that looks like it belongs to a different era than the one defined by Trae Young.

And therein lies the tension: before Atlanta can fully commit to building around Johnson, it must confront the reality that its former franchise cornerstone remains on the roster despite appearing in only 10 games this season.

1. A New Face of the Franchise

Johnson’s emergence has altered the Hawks’ internal calculus. His versatility allows Atlanta to play faster, defend more aggressively on the perimeter, and lean into a modern, positionless style that has been missing from the roster in recent years. He has become the hub of the offense by default, blending scoring with connective passing and providing a defensive backbone that often sets the tone for the rest of the lineup. The additions of Alexander-Walker and Daniels have only amplified that shift. Both bring length, defensive intensity, and secondary playmaking, traits that align more naturally with Johnson’s strengths than with a Trae-centric offense. Yet the Hawks sit at just 15–19, good for a play-in spot but hardly the foundation of a clear rebuild or a confident push toward contention.

2. Trae Young’s Diminishing Leverage

Young’s situation complicates everything. Once one of the league’s most electric guards, his production has slipped from the heights of his 2021–25 prime, and his limited availability this season has made it harder to gauge his current value. The idea of trading him is no longer radical in Atlanta, but the challenge lies in finding a partner willing to surrender meaningful assets for a player whose best years may already be in the rearview mirror. Bill Simmons recently suggested that most front offices no longer see Young as a franchise-altering piece, leaving only one potential suitor who might think differently: Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé. According to Simmons, Ranadivé’s history of bold — and sometimes baffling — decisions makes Sacramento the rare team that could convince itself to gamble on Young despite the risks.

3. Waiting on Clarity

What makes the Hawks’ predicament so difficult is the absence of a clean answer. Trading Young risks selling low on a player who once defined the franchise, while keeping him could stall the momentum Johnson has created. Atlanta’s front office must also weigh the locker-room dynamics. A team that increasingly resembles Johnson’s vision of basketball may struggle to integrate a high-usage guard whose style belongs to a different phase of the organization’s history. The coming weeks may provide clarity, either through a stretch of wins that stabilizes the roster or through mounting losses that force the Hawks’ hand. Until then, Atlanta remains suspended between eras — committed to a rising star while still tethered to the fading imprint of its old one.