Atlanta Hawks sign Trae Young to five-year extension

Trae Young will remain an Atlanta Hawk through the 2026-2027 season.Getty Images

Trae Young’s dominance last season, particularly during the post season, was a pivotal component of the Atlanta Hawks’ overall success this season.

In hopes of continuing to advance towards an eventual championship, the Hawks signed Young to a contract extension that will keep the NBA All-Star in Atlanta through the 2026-2027 season.

Though the terms of the contract extension were not released by the Hawks organization, ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Young’s agent, Omar Wilkes, confirmed that the deal was a five-year deal for $207 million. The maximum offer of $207 million is contingent on Young being selected to an All-NBA team next season. If not, the most he can earn on this extension is $170 million.

“I’m grateful to the Hawks, the Ressler family, my teammates and the entire Atlanta community for embracing me from the very beginning,” Young said. “I’m honored and excited to keep building with this great organization.”

It was not difficult to grasp the importance of securing Young for a long-term max deal. His 25.3 points (14th in the NBA) and 9.4 assists (2nd in the NBA) per game were key to the Hawks securing the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seedings, their first playoff berth since the 2016-2017 season.

Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk spoke to Young’s successes on and off of the basketball court, as well as his perceived role for the Hawks in the future via a statement issued earlier today.

“This is a great day for the Hawks franchise and the city of Atlanta,” Schlenk said. “Trae is a special player and person who from Day One, embraced being a leader on the court and in our community. We are excited to have him as the cornerstone of our program long-term as we work toward our goal of bringing a championship to Atlanta.”

Young headlines a group of young talent that is expected to have the Hawks compete for an Eastern Conference championship. This week, the Hawks have also re-signed forward John Collins and veteran guard Lou Williams.

The 2020-2021 season saw the Hawks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the second time in Atlanta’s history; this deep playoff run was fueled by Young’s postseason averages of 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game. During the playoffs, Young became the first player in NBA history to score at least 20 points and dish out at least seven assists in his first 13 career playoff games. In Game 1 of the Hawks’ Eastern Conference Finals win over the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, Young scored 48 points, tallied 11 assists and collected seven rebounds, becoming the first player in NBA history to finish a Conference Finals game with 45 points and 10 assists.

Since entering the league in 2018, Young ranks second in total assists (1,807) and fourth in made three-pointers (1,308). He has accumulated 63 games where he has scored at least 20 points and collected 10 or more assists, second only to Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden.

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