How the De'Aaron Fox Extension Could Affect Extension Talks with Trae Young

Now, it's true that the Spurs didn't have a lot of leverage after trading for Fox without an extension in place prior to the 2024-25 trade deadline. However, this is still a massive contract extension for several reasons, particularly regarding Hawks star point guard Trae Young.

First, it now seems incredibly likely the Hawks are going to have to give Young a full max extension if they want him to be a part of Atlanta's future. Fox is a great guard, but his resume doesn't really compare to Young's. The newly-paid Spurs guard has one All-Star selection, an NBA steals title and one All-NBA Third Team nod to his name. In comparison, Young has four All-Star selections, an All-NBA Third Team nod and is coming off leading the league in assists. He's also been the best player on an Eastern Conference Finals team and is an offense unto himself due to his elite playmaking. Fox excels more as a finisher while having more utility on defense. However, when comparing the resumes, it's pretty clear that Young's extension should start at a number similar to Fox's.

This could go one of two ways for the Hawks. One possible scenario is that the Hawks and Young agree to a full max contract extension that is essentially a copy of Fox's. Before Fox's deal came in, there was at least a chance that Atlanta might be able to talk Young into taking slightly below the full max. However, that seems unlikely now because the market price for a player with a worse resume than Young at the same position has been set. It is somewhat possible that Atlanta has more leverage in its negotiations with Young than San Antonio did. Fox had more leverage due to being acquired by the Spurs in a trade, and although Fox's stats did get worse after being traded, he was playing with an injured lineup, and Young's numbers haven't exactly steadily increased on a per-year basis. That being said, it'd be easy for Young to counter with the accurate statement that he's an essential part of their lineup and their roster is constructed around maximizing his strengths.

The second option carries much more risk for both sides, but could make more sense in the long run. Young might decide to play out the 2025-26 season and then decline his player option for 2026-27 in order to enter the free agent market. There are a lot of teams with cap space in the 2026 offseason - examples include the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards. None of them seems like a better option than Atlanta at the moment, but they could be more attractive destinations in a year's time. It also gives him an incentive to perform well in 2025-26. If he makes an All-NBA team, then Atlanta can offer him a supermax extension that takes up 35% of the salary cap. If he doesn't, he can still sign a max extension with one of the cap space teams.

This might also make sense for the Hawks for three reasons. The simplest one is that they can assess how a motivated Young performs with a roster built to capitalize on his strengths and cover up for his weaknesses. If he can't take Atlanta into a deep playoff run with a healthy version of this roster, general manager Onsi Saleh has to seriously consider pivoting away from Young. They also would be delaying the effect of a more expensive max contract on their long-term cap sheets. However, the most fascinating reason has to do with the 2026 draft. Since the Hawks acquired the most favorable 2026 first-round selection of Milwaukee and New Orleans, that pick could easily be in the top five of next year's lottery. If Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson has a stellar season and he's there at the Hawks' pick, could Atlanta select him to replace Trae Young? The Hawks' front office has to at least consider the possibility.

While it may not accelerate extension talks in earnest, the Fox extension is likely an important one for the Hawks and Young's representation to take note of.

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