As the first day of NBA Free Agency has begun, a lot of big deals have been completed. Several stars have switched teams or chosen to remain with their original teams. This free agency period is a big one for the 2018 Draft Class, whose stars will be up for maximum rookie contract extensions.
The 2018 Draft Class has been one of the most prolific in recent memories, with players like Trae Young and Luka Doncic achieving superstardom in that time. Doncic and Young were expected to make good money during this free agency period, with them earning a maximum rookie contract extension from the Mavericks and the Hawks respectively. And one of them has inked a deal, along with another young burgeoning star from the 2018 class.
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— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
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— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have both inked maximum rookie contract extensions with the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder respectively. For Shai, he will sign a deal worth $172 million across five years with OKC. Whereas, Young will sign a massive $207 million rookie contract extension for the next five years with the Atlanta Hawks. Both players have secured a massive payday, and their recent future will be with their current teams right now.
Trae Young will be especially happy to sign a new contract with the Hawks after the season they had. The Hawks secured the fifth seed during the regular season in the Eastern Conference. From there, they went on to defeat the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers (both of whom were higher seeds) to reach the Conference Finals against the Bucks. Young himself reacted to the contract extension, potentially hitting back at all the critics who said his size and game would not translate to the NBA.
Never let ANYBODY tell you, you can’t do something
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 3, 2021
Whereas Shai will be hoping that the Oklahoma City Thunder start to use their treasure chest of assets to bring in other stars to their team. At the moment, OKC has Kemba Walker, who can help Shai and the two can form a dynamic backcourt duo between themselves. But they need more solid players in order to get back to winning ways.
