A franchise point guard in his mid-20s, with almost a decade's worth of NBA experience, and only one season left on his current contract, just signed a four-year max extension that will pay him a projected $222.4 million through the 2029-30 campaign. It wasn’t Trae Young. It was De’Aaron Fox—a fellow floor general who, frankly, might not be as good.
There’s only one of two ways for the Atlanta Hawks to respond now: by maxing out Young themselves, or rolling the dice and waiting until next summer, when he holds a $49 million player option and could enter unrestricted free agency.