The Suns have finally parted ways with Bradley Beal after two disastrous seasons, marking the end of Phoenix’s “big 3.” Beal was given a 5-year, $251 million max contract extension after the 2021-22 season in a deal many considered to be a looming disaster at the time.
Beal was destined to fail in Phoenix. The Suns were left with no cap space to support their stars after spending over $150 million last season between Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker.
The Atlanta Hawks face a potentially similar situation, as Trae Young is expected to hit free agency this offseason. While Young is younger and better than Beal was when he received his most recent extension, the dangers of overspending cannot be overstated. Jalen Johnson will be making $30 million a year for the next five years, and young stars Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher will be due for extensions in the near future.
Atlanta cannot give Young a supermax and remain contenders
Young has a player option for next season valued at $46 million, which he is expected to decline. After not being selected to an All-NBA team last season, Young’s current maximum contract extension is valued at 5-years, $229 million with an average annual value of $45.8 million.
Daniels is also set for an extension next offseason after his rookie deal expires. Experts project Daniels to recieve a 3-year, $94 million contract with an average value of just over $31 million annually. Fellow member of the 2021 draft class Jabari Smith Jr. received an extension at a slightly lesser value over five years. After winning the Most Improved Player award and being the youngest member of the All-Defense first team, Daniels deserves this contract.
Assuming Daniel’s recieves this contract, the Hawks will be paying over $105 million to Daniels, Johnson, Risacher, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu. Adding Young’s maximum extension to this leaves the Hawks spending over $150 million for these six players, leaving just $15 million in cap space.
This does not account for Atlanta’s youngsters contracted through next season: Kobe Bufkin, Asa Newell, and Mouhamed Gueye. Between these nine players, Atlanta will have no cap space remaining. While this is not a death sentence to the Hawks like Beal’s contract was for the Suns, Atlanta will be in a tough spot if they choose to hand out all of these extensions, as they will be very limited in their ability to reload the roster with talent.
This begs the question of whether a Hawks team structured around these nine players is a championship contender.
Where Atlanta does run the risk of hamstringing their future is if Young makes an All-NBA team this season and is eligible for a supermax contract next offseason. Young very well could qualify for this contract given how talented Atlanta’s roster is and their championship aspirations.
Young’s potential supermax deal would be a 5-year, $345 million deal ($69 million annually), nearly $25 million more than his current maximum deal. This contract would break Atlanta’s books and require the club to ship talented players in the future.
While this Hawks’ roster is built around Young, they cannot afford to recreate their own Bradley Beal situation. Hawks fans should hope that Young is willing to sacrifice his supermax deal in order to keep the Hawks competitive for the rest of the Trae Young era.