The Miami Heat may feel confident in their chances of landing Kevin Durant. However, in the event that they whiff on a trade, they're going to need a strong plan B. In many ways, the perfect, offseason-saving backup plan could be brewing in Atlanta with Trae Young.
Young is due for a contract extension this offseason, but it's not clear that the Hawks will want to go down that path with the star guard. With the way they've built their roster over the last couple of years, you'd get the impression that the Hawks are a rebuilding team, and not one trying to build a contender around Young.
Atlanta is going to reach their fork in the road soon and will need to decide whether it's ready to give Young the huge contract extension that he'll be seeking, or if they'd much rather scour his trade market in an attempt to jump-start a rebuild.
Trae Young's future with the Hawks is uncertain
On the one hand, it could be difficult for the Hawks to throw in the towel on the Young era in Atlanta. Even though the Hawks haven't had a ton of success since their magical Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021, he's helped lead the team to the NBA Playoffs three times in the last five years. Atlanta has never been "bad" with Young leading the way.
At the same time, it would also be completely understandable if Atlanta elected to trade him. Young is going to be 27 years old at the start of next season and is probably at his peak already. As the Hawks have regressed over the last couple of seasons, it's clear he may not be a worthy centerpiece of a rebuild.
Instead of doubling down on Young with a huge contract (which could make it difficult to trade in the future), the Hawks could look to trade him before so they could help boost the next era of Hawks basketball. If Atlanta were to go down that route, that's where a team like the Heat could benefit.
Miami always feels it could get the best out of a player, even more so if they're already on the star track. If the Heat genuinely believes in their system, Young's best years could still be in front of him, and Miami should be able to theoretically get them out of him.
As far as their search for a star player is concerned, there's a lot to like about Young's fit in Miami. He has proven in the past that he has star tendencies and has raised his game to elite levels in the playoffs. With a better supporting cast, there's a reason to believe that Young can get back to that level again.
From a basketball perspective, Young could be considered a perfect complement player next to Bam Adebayo. He may be a complicated fit next to Tyler Herro, but that's probably a different conversation for another day. If the Heat is looking for a strong plan B if they miss out (or pass) on KD, Young could be available for the right price.
The question is, would the Heat be willing to go down that path with Young? If they believe in their ability to get the most out of players and their culture, there's no reason why they shouldn't be. Looking at the landscape of the offseason, there may not be better plan B's out there than the possibility of prying Young out of Atlanta.