According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has decided that he won’t sign an extension with the franchise at least until the regular season starts. The four-time All-Star is eligible to sign an extension from now until the end of the 2025-26 season and is set to earn $46 million in the upcoming season.
As of now, Young is eligible for a four-year, $229 million deal with the Hawks. But if he makes it to an All-NBA team this season, he will become eligible for a five-year, $350 million supermax extension. Young could decide to wait until the end of the season to sit back at the table with the Hawks front office to negotiate a potential extension that would potentially guarantee him $121 million more than what he gets if he signs a max extension now.
There have been several concerns about Young’s future with the Hawks, and the All-Star even toyed with people’s emotions in his most recent commercial, where the teaser made it seem like he could be done with the Hawks. Although when the commercial came out, he reassured the fans that he loves playing in Atlanta for the Hawks, which should bring significant relief to their concerns.
If Young decides not to extend with the Hawks till the end of the season, then he will be in a unique position where he could become a free agent if he declines his $49 million player-option for the 2026-27 extension. Young averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 34% from the three-point range in 2024-25. In comparison, Cade Cunningham, who was the point guard for the All-NBA third team last season, averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc.
This shows that Young is not that far away from being in the discussion to potentially make an All-NBA team at the end of the regular season. If he increases his efficiency and contributes to more winning basketball like Cunningham did last season by leading the Pistons to the Playoffs, then maybe Young could earn that recognition this season.
Additionally, the Hawks have treated Young as the franchise cornerstone ever since they traded for him on draft night for Luka Doncic. They have now built a solid roster around him and have strong core pieces like Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jalen Johnson around him to potentially make a solid run in the Playoffs this season. Therefore, it is not surprising that, in essence, Young is willing to bet on himself and put a pause on securing a guaranteed contract for a significantly larger extension at the end of the 2025-26 season, which he may or may not get, depending on his performance.
