Luka Doncic got his max contract extension. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got a historic one, and the Thunder also extended and locked up his running mates Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Devin Booker got his extension.
Trae Young has yet to get his, and he’s growing increasingly frustrated. He was frustrated at the pace of things a month ago.
ESPN/Andscape’s Marc Spears said Tuesday that Young is “disappointed” that he has yet to be offered a deal. From Spears’ appearance on NBA Today:
“What I’m hearing now, at this point — you can tell by Trae’s Tweet, and I saw him during the Finals — I think he’s disappointed that it hasn’t come, it hasn’t been offered.”
Atlanta can offer Young a four-year, $228.6 million max extension right now, but there also is no time crunch from the Hawks’ perspective (the deadline to reach a deal is June 30, 2026).
The question becomes: Is Young a max player? If not — and the conventional wisdom around the league is he’s not a full max guy — then what is the number where everyone is happy, both in terms of dollars and years?
The Hawks were aggressive this offseason, retooling their roster into one that could be a top-four team in the East. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking to Atlanta, and he seems a natural pick-and-pop partner with Young. Nickeil Alexander-Walker brings shooting to the wing, plus he and Dyson Daniels give the Hawks an elite wing defense. Luke Kennard adds even more shooting. And that’s not counting Jalen Johnson getting healthy and Zaccharie Risacher potentially making a leap in his second season.
There’s some logic to the idea of Young at the point leading this roster, he averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists per game last season, shooting 34% from beyond the arc. He also led the league in turnovers with 355 (4.7 per game), and is a minus defender.
Does Atlanta want to see how things shake out on the court before getting serious with extension talks? More likely, they talk to Young about a two-year contract closer to his current salary (two…
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