NBA insider expands on Hawks, Trae Young extension rumors

This actually makes a ton of sense for both sides.

Firstly, the Hawks and Young can work out an extension during the season, unlike Dyson Daniels, who has to get pen to paper before October or wait until next offseason.

Secondly, this is a potential deal that would take Trae Young into his 30s, so the Hawks are right to be cautious, especially since his shooting has yet to improve since his electric 2021-22 campaign in which he had a 60% true shooting percentage.

In the three seasons since, his shooting has been quite inefficient comparatively. Trae Young is an amazing talent, but his specific archetype requires a very specific roster around him to succeed.

It’s perfectly fine to wait and see if you’re the Hawks, and Young should be motivated because this is the best team he’s had around him since he entered the league. There are real expectations for the Atlanta club this year, meaning there’s an opportunity for their star point guard.

With shooters and elite defenders around him, Young can achieve All-NBA status, which would make him eligible for an extension somewhere around $315 million across five years, as Fischer notes.

It would be a win-win for the Hawks. They’ll see everything come together and have no problem rewarding Young with that supermax contract extension. You definitely don’t want to isolate your star player, but this is a very unusual situation. Paying players early usually works out; however, in this case, I completely understand the hesitancy to give Trae Young the max extension at this juncture.