Trae Young’s uncertain future is shaping up to be one of the hottest topics of the coming NBA offseason, and his father has taken the interesting step of becoming certified as an agent.
“Another potential sidebar to make note of here: Young continues to be represented by Klutch Sports — same as [Dejounte] Murray — but league sources say Young’s father Rayford Young also recently secured formal NBA agent certification,” wrote NBA insider Marc Stein.
With the Atlanta Hawks’ season now over after a loss to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament, more attention has shifted toward what their plans might be for their All-Star guard. Many NBA sources believe Atlanta will trade him if they can find a buyer.
With three years and almost $140 million remaining on his contract, some teams may find a deal for the younger Young difficult to make. However, the 25-year-old has already been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Detroit Pistons have been mentioned as a wild card for his services.
There also has been talk of the younger Young joining the San Antonio Spurs to form a youthful dynamic duo with Victor Wembanyama, the likely 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year.
Back at the NBA trade deadline in February, it was widely thought that the Hawks were looking to trade Murray. However, such a deal did not come to pass, and with the belief that Atlanta will ultimately part with one or the other, they may now be choosing to move on from the younger Young instead.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the younger Young was limited by an injured finger to a career-low 54 games this season. He did average a career-high 10.8 assists per game while also scoring 25.7 points per game.
It is unclear what role the elder Young having agent certification will play in this ongoing scenario, but it may be worth noting that the Lakers have close ties to Klutch Sports via the relationship between agent Rich Paul and superstar LeBron James.
As for the Hawks, they have not come close to returning to the promise that was foreseen when the younger Young helped them advance all the way to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost to the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. They have not won a playoff series since then.
