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NBA insider doesn’t believe Hawks will offer Trae Young a max contract

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 1:17 PM ET

The Atlanta Hawks have been dubbed winners of the offseason by a number of NBA outlets, something that hasn’t happened in quite a long time.

New general manager Onsi Saleh has done a tremendous job of putting together a team that can seriously compete in the Eastern Conference while also keeping his options wide open in the future. With a couple more savvy moves, the Hawks could become serious contenders for a long time.

However, there is at least one more major decision Saleh has remaining on his offseason to-do list. The Hawks would like to get a long-term extension done with star point guard Trae Young; however, according to Brian Windhorst, it’s not going to be a max contract, which would pay Young $229 million over four years.

He’s talked about this on Threads too pic.twitter.com/NJaQHpHWdI

— Tim Spears (@TSpears) July 29, 2025

NBA contracts have shot through the stratosphere in recent years and will continue to grow moving forward. Pretty soon the top players in the league will be sniffing $100 million per season. In some cases, the player might be worth it, but in the apron era, the number of stars that are worthy of max contracts is dwindling.

Trae Young appears to be one of those fringe players, and the Hawks’ hesitancy in offering him a max contract could end up being smart business.

The promising news is Young has been at the forefront of Atlanta’s offseason moves, helping recruit players to the Hawks throughout the summer. He’s reportedly thrilled with the work Onsi Saleh has done, so hopefully, there is a middle ground where the two sides can come together and get a deal done before the start of the season.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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