Hawks’ Trae Young on Contract Extension: ‘I’m Not Worried About It’

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks ended the offseason without coming to terms on a new contract extension, but the four-time All-Star guard isn’t concerned about his future with the team.

Trae Young Could Sign Max Extension With Hawks

Per Spotrac, Young has a $48.96 million player option for next season and is earning $45.99 million this campaign. The 27-year-old wants to prove that he’s worth the four-year, $229 million max extension he is eligible for.

He signed a five-year, $215.15 million rookie max extension with the Hawks in 2021.

“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk when asked about entering the season without an extension.

“As much as I wish it was, it’s not all in my hands and I can’t control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats … I understand what winning can do.

“If certain things don’t go my way as far as injuries, health and stuff that I can’t control, that may be the man above telling me there’s another plan for me. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, Quin [Snyder] included, get taken care of and succeed.”

Had Young been named All-NBA last season, he would have been eligible to ink a five-year, $345 million super max extension during the offseason. Neither Luka Doncic nor De’Aaron Fox signed such a deal over the summer.

The Hawks were reluctant to offer Young an extension this past summer after new general manager Onsi Saleh added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard.

Saleh also managed to acquire the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-rounder.

Porzingis is also eligible for a contract extension with his new team after the Boston Celtics traded him over the summer. The former All-Star, however, told Fred Katz of The Athletic earlier this month that he’s in no rush to negotiate a new deal.

“I know that’s an option,” Porzingis said about an extension. “I wanna see how the year goes. And I wanna show that I’m playing at a high level again, that I’m healthy, that I’m everything, and then that kind of stuff will take care of itself, you know? We’ll see. … I don’t wanna rush anything and say this or that, but I wanna take it one day at a time.”

According to Spotrac, Porzingis is earning $30.7 million this campaign, the final season of a two-year, $60 million extension he signed with the Celtics in 2023. He completed the deal almost immediately after the Washington Wizards traded him to Boston.

After falling short in the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, Young and the Hawks have been in four straight play-in tournaments and lost in the first round in back-to-back years.

A retooled roster should make Atlanta a better team this season.