News that the San Antonio Spurs and star point guard De'Aaron Fox agreed to a four-year, $229 million max contract came as a surprise to many across the NBA. Potentially including the Atlanta Hawks, who now could have a harder time keeping star point guard Trae Young.
Young may look at Fox's extension and expect the Hawks to break the bank by offering him a similar deal. After all, Young is arguably better than Fox and is even slightly younger than him, too.
While Fox is much bigger and far less of a negative on defense, Young is an elite shooter and passer and is the centerpiece of a revamped Hawks team that has a chance to make a deep playoff run next season.
The Trae Young contract situation looms over the Atlanta Hawks
Young will become a free agent after this season if he and the Hawks can't agree to an extension. If Young demands a max contract, then that could be a non-starter for the Hawks, who don't appear willing to go that high in negotiations.
Worse yet, for Atlanta, they haven't been able to get top dollar in trade talks for their best player, putting them between a rock and a hard place.
According to Chris Haynes, the Hawks have yet to even offer Young an extension, which is highly unusual considering that he can become a free agent in just 10 months. That suggests that they are taking a wait-and-see approach, and that could come back to bite them.
The Hawks have to tread carefully with Trae Young
After all, the longer they go without extending him, the more likely it is that he could opt to take his chances in free agency. Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets all are expected to have significant cap space and could potentially lure him away from Atlanta.
Ironically, the Spurs have a vested interest in the Hawks' contract drama with Young. The Spurs can swap picks with the Hawks in 2026 and own their pick outright in 2027. They'd be doing backflips if Young were to leave in free agency next summer for nothing, possibly giving the Spurs a lottery pick to take the sting out of overpaying for Fox.
Atlanta has done an incredible job remaking their roster, tailoring it to maximize Young's strengths and to minimize his weaknesses. But it doesn't really make sense without him. If Atlanta balks at his contract demands, especially after the Fox extension, then that could be enough of a reason for Young to look elsewhere.