The Hawks’ future depends on Trae Young. Here’s why Atlanta must secure his $229M extension before risking their playoff hopes.

The way things have worked recently in the modern NBA is that star players no longer spend the early part of July sitting in conference rooms being wooed by a variety of teams with the hefty cap space needed to sign them in free agency.

The Atlanta Hawks have had one of the most impressive transaction windows this summer. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, signed sharpshooter Luke Kennard away from the Memphis Grizzlies and acquired Nickiel Alexander-Walker to bolster their defense.