Trae Young joins Klutch Sports. Should Atlanta Hawks fans be worried?

Trae Young joins Klutch Sports. Should Atlanta Hawks fans be worried? https://t.co/wqdND0XN9J via @SportsTalkATL

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) September 15, 2020

The year is 2022. Young has made three straight All-Star appearances, a few All-NBA teams, and even graced the cover of NBA 2K. The only remaining knock against the 24-year-old is his inability to get past the conference semi-finals.

A disheartened All-Star stuck on a good but not great Hawks team decides he is leaving Atlanta to pursue the biggest stage in basketball. Young signs with the Lakers, joining a 37-year-old James and 29-year-old Davis. The King’s final act is yet another big-3 as he creeps closer to the ghost of Michael Jordan.

What ensues is more rings for the purple and gold dynasty, Young elevated into celebrity status, and Hollywood belongs to the unassuming kid from Oklahoma.

While Lakers fans love the thought of this, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising for Young to eventually leave Atlanta, especially if the team cannot put a winning product around him, the Hawks newest superstar doesn’t have much leverage. Even after the 2021-2022 season, he will only be a restricted free agent, allowing Atlanta to match any offer he signs with another team. There’s no way Travis Schlenk and company let him walk for nothing. Young has plenty of more years left as a Hawk once his current contract comes to an end.