Yahoo Sports Trae Young signs maximum contract extension with Atlanta Hawks
Following their surprise run to the Eastern Conference finals this past season, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks agreed to a maximum rookie contract extension, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Young confirmed the extension via a Twitter post, and the Hawks announced the news on Aug. 6, the first day that signings could become official.
❄️ ATL , We Move ❄️ pic.twitter.com/tGm7NWRQvd
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 3, 2021
As currently constructed, Young's extension is worth $168 million over five years. That could climb just north of $200 million if he makes one of the three All-NBA teams this coming season. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Young is also owed $8.3 million next season in the final year of his rookie deal.
Young was named an All-Star in his second season, averaging 29.6 points (on 44/36/86 shooting splits), 9.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game for a 20-win Hawks team. That came with questions about the 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard's ability to command a winning team. He was left off this year's All-Star roster as a result, and Young proceeded to put the league on notice over the next few months.
With Nate McMillan assuming the reins as coach of a retooled roster around Young, the Hawks finished the regular season with a 27-11 record over their final 38 games and captured the Eastern Conference's No. 5 seed. Young put a show in a 4-1 series victory against the New York Knicks in the first round, embracing his role as a villain. He was just as brilliant in an upset of the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals.
Young dropped 48 points and 11 assists in a statement win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the conference finals, but he suffered an ankle injury midway through the series that cost him Games 4 and 5 and severely limited him in a Game 6 loss. Still, the Hawks — full of young talent — took Giannis Antetokounmpo and the reigning NBA champions to six games, far exceeding preseason expectations.
The cost of keeping their core together could get awfully expensive awfully quick for the Hawks, starting with Young's extension. John Collins is a restricted free agent who turned down a $90 million offer from Atlanta last offseason, and he only improved his stock during the playoffs. Likewise, Kevin Huerter is also eligible for an extension, and his 27-point effort in Game 7 against the Sixers is worth a pretty penny alone.
Signing Young was their first priority, and the Hawks will hope everyone else falls in line behind him.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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