Atlanta Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh faces a major decision on four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young. However, a “bold” new prediction sees the franchise win a potentially “dangerous game.”
Young is heading into Year 4 of a five-year, $215.1 million contract. He is extension-eligible for a deal worth up to $229 million this offseason. Moreover, Young has a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season, functionally making this the final year of his current deal.
What the Hawks decide to do will have a tremendous ripple effect on the rest of the roster.
“Given the Atlanta Hawks’ lack of control over their first-rounders through 2027, there’s a case for them to just offer him the full boat and move on,” Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale wrote on June 22. “Yet, this offseason feels like it will be a referendum on how teams pay players who aren't universally considered top-15 or -20 stars. Young falls squarely on the fringes of that range—someone who could get the max but no longer seems like a lock to do so.
“If Young thinks he can get more in 2026 free agency (player option), he can reject the extension, and the Hawks can recalibrate from there. But without a clear-cut landing spot for him, either via trade or in next summer's open market, his leverage is limited in negotiations. He and Atlanta will find common ground that is south of the max.”
Hawks’ best option could be to underpay Trae Young
Favale said potential “alienating” Young “can’t be a primary concern,” but it is certainly one the Hawks new leadership must mind. NBA insider Zach Lowe noted it could be a “dangerous game” for the Hawks to approach Young with an offer worth less than the max.
However, he echoed sentiments from ESPN’s Bobby Marks that it is the Hawks’ best path.
“On the surface, Young deserves the four-year, $229 million extension he is eligible to sign,” Marks wrote on June 3, hedging with the PG’s career-worst 53% mark at the rim and league-leading 355 turnovers among the negatives. “The counterargument to a new contract is pinned to roster construction and comfort level to committing long term to Young.”
Young led the league in assists per game for the first time in his career and earned his fourth All-Star appearance, second straight, though each of his last two have been as a replacement.
For what it is worth, Young’s stance has seemingly prioritized winning over everything else. The Hawks were also in the hunt for a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference standings late into the regular season.
Perhaps that, and a potentially tepid market, makes for easier talks.