Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks ended the offseason without agreeing on a new contract extension, but the four-time All-Star guard isn’t worried about his future with the team.
Trae Young may re-sign with Hawks
According to Spotrac, Young has a $48.96 million player option for next season and will make $45.99 million this season. The 27-year-old wants to prove he’s worthy of a four-year, $229 million max contract extension.
In 2021, he signed a five-year rookie maximum contract extension worth $215.15 million with the Hawks.
“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk when asked about entering the season without an extension.
“As much as I wish it were, it’s not entirely in my hands, I can’t control everything. I can only control the present. And I know if we win, everyone will eat… I understand what winning can bring.
“If something doesn’t go my way like injuries, health and things I can’t control, that’s probably the guy up there telling me I have another plan. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, Quinn [Snyder] Be included, taken care of and succeed. “
If Young was selected to the All-NBA team last season, he would be eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax contract extension in the offseason. Neither Luka Doncic nor De’Aaron Fox signed such contracts in the summer.
Last season, Young played 76 games with the Hawks, averaging 36 minutes per game, scoring career-highs of 24.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 11.6 assists and 1.2 steals, leading the league.
Kristaps Porzingis eligible for extension
The Hawks were reluctant to extend Young’s contract last summer after new general manager Onsi Saleh added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickel Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard to the mix.
Saleh also successfully acquired the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round draft pick.
Porzingis is also eligible to re-sign with his new team after the Boston Celtics traded him this summer. However, the former All-Star told The Athletic’s Fred Katz earlier this month that he’s in no rush to negotiate a new contract.
“I knew it was an option,” Porzingis said of the extension. “I want to see how the year goes. I want to prove that I’m at a high level again, I’m healthy, I’m everything, and then these things will fall into place, you know? We’ll see. … I don’t want to rush into saying this or that, but I want to take it day by day.”
According to Spotrac, Porzingis will make $30.7 million this season, which is the final season of a two-year, $60 million contract extension he signed with the Celtics in 2023. After the Washington Wizards traded him to Boston, he completed the deal almost immediately.
Since losing in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, Young and the Hawks have made four consecutive playoff appearances and lost in the first round in consecutive years.
The restructured roster should make Atlanta a better team this season.
