In early July, star point guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks became eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $228.6 million. Shortly after he became eligible for an extension on August 3, the San Antonio Spurs just gave De’Aaron Fox that exact same contract; but, it doesn’t seem likely that the Hawks will do the same with Young anytime soon.
The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer said on Sunday that “young and the Hawks have no plans to engage in extension talks this summer.” He stated that “Young’s side has actually been resigned for some time to the prospect of seeing out the final guaranteed year on his current contract, rather than securing an extension.”
However, Young is apparently not happy about it. In the midst of his own contract dispute, he recently responded to Dallas Cowboys standout edge-rusher Micah Parsons’ desire for a trade by posting this on X.
“What I’m hearing now, at this point—you can tell by Trae’s tweet, and I saw him during the Finals—I think he’s disappointed that it hasn’t come, it hasn’t been offered,” Marc J. Spears of Andscape stated on a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today.
Young has a player option for around $49.0 million for the 2026–2027 season, on top of his $46.0 million salary this season. He might be among the top free agents in a class that is rapidly losing elite players due to extensions if he turns it down.
Given that Young has outperformed Fox in terms of both playmaking and scoring, why did the Spurs give Fox a maximum extension while the Hawks won’t do the same for Young? The long-term financial status of each team can offer some hints.
Long-Term Financial Uncertainty for the Hawks
Even after signing Fox to a maximum contract, the Spurs anticipate having a lot of financial freedom over the upcoming seasons. Victor Wembanyama’s inevitable max deal won’t start until 2027–2028 because he won’t be eligible for an extension until next summer. Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick, is only entering the first year of his four-year rookie-scale contract, and Stephon Castle will do the same one year later.
The Spurs will eventually need to select Wembanyama’s long-term partner from among Fox, Castle, and Harper. However, individuals may have up to three years before they are compelled to make such decisions.
That luxury isn’t always available to the Hawks. Through the 2027–2028 campaign, they already have major long-term financial commitments to Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jalen Johnson. They will have $73.4 million committed to that quartet alone in 2025–2026; $74.3 million in 2026–2027; and $79.5 million in 2027–2028 if they exercise their team options on 2024 No. 1 overall choice Zaccharie Risacher.
But they also have to deal with Dyson Daniels and Kristaps Porziņģis, who are also entering contract years.
Daniels just finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race and won the Most Improved Player award after a breakout season in which he recorded a league-high 3.0 thefts per game. Even though the Australian combo guard isn’t very good at three-point shooting, his ability to disrupt games on defense should still fetch him a high salary in 2026, whether he signs with the Hawks or another free agent.
Porziņģis is more of a wild card now, especially after missing the last few months of the previous season due to an unexplained illness. Although the 30-year-old was a key component of the Boston Celtics’ run to the 2023–24 championship, organizations may be deterred from giving him a huge, fully guaranteed contract due to his significant injury history.
Although the regulations differ for Daniels and Porziņģis, both players are qualified to sign extensions with the Hawks.
Daniels will no longer be able to sign an extension if he and the Hawks cannot agree by the beginning of the regular season. He will instead be a restricted free agent in the upcoming summer. Despite the fact that eight teams are anticipated to have salary-cap room by 2026,
Between now and then, a lot can change, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. Even if the cap-space forecast seems more favorable, Daniels may reconsider testing restricted free agency next summer given the protracted, ongoing stories of Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, and Cam Thomas this offseason.
Porziņģis will continue to be eligible for an extension through June 30 because he is in the last year of a non-rookie-scale contract. But until January 7, when he would be eligible for a four-year extension, the Hawks could only add three more years to his contract. Up until that January date, his new contract can begin at just 120% of what he is expected to make this season.
The Hawks may put the infamously tax-averse team well above the luxury-tax line if they re-sign Young, Daniels, and Porziņģis. Therefore, before making that kind of long-term financial commitment, the Hawks may want to wait and see how new summer additions like Porziņģis, Alexander-Walker, sharpshooter Luke Kennard, and rookie forward Asa Newell mesh.
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