The Hawks will not sign star point guard Trae Young to an extension before the season begins, league sources tell Fred Katz and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise — Jake Fischer reported a couple months ago that the two sides weren’t expected to discuss an extension during the offseason. Katz and Vardon say the Hawks want to see how the new-look roster meshes before making a potential long-term commitment to the four-time All-Star.
Young admitted late last month that he was a little disappointed about entering training camp without an extension in place, but also said he was focused on the present and wouldn’t let the lack of a new deal be a distraction.
Young is coming off a 2024/25 season in which he played 76 games (36.0 minutes per contest) while averaging 24.2 points, a league-high 11.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals, with a shooting line of .411/.340/.875.
There’s no real urgency to extend Young from Atlanta’s perspective. While he could become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his player option (worth about $49MM) for 2026/27, he will remain extension-eligible throughout the ’25/26 league year. Signing an in-season extension would also require Young to decline that option.
Whether they sign him to a rookie scale extension before Monday’s deadline or re-sign him as a restricted free agent in 2026, the Hawks feel good about their chances of retaining Most Improved Player winner Dyson Daniels, according to Katz and Vardon.
In other extension news, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 cautions (via Twitter) not to expect a rookie scale deal for Suns center Mark Williams. The former Duke big man has frequently been injured over his first three seasons, appearing in a total of just 106 games, and Phoenix appears likely to use ’25/26 to evaluate his fit after acquiring him in a summer trade with Charlotte.
Fischer reported last week that the Suns were considered unlikely to sign Williams to an extension. If no deal is reached, the 23-year-old would be a restricted free agent next summer, assuming he’s given a qualifying offer.