<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-nukes-rumors-anger-lack-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young nukes rumors of anger over lack of contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Hawks-All-Star-Trae-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Mike Watters-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young nukes rumors of anger over lack of contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T08:43:23-07:00">October 27th, 8:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T08:43:23-07:00">October 27th, 8:43am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After Atlanta Hawks All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-tare-young-honest-season-opener-embarrassing">Trae Young described losing the season opener as embarrassing</a>, some wondered if the eight-year pro is entering the 2025-26 campaign with a chip on his shoulder caused by anger over a contract extension. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-fresh-trae-young-reveals-why-2025-26-season-feels-year-1">Young entered the season with high hopes</a> for the Hawks, stating it’s the most talented NBA roster he’s ever been a part of.</p><p>Still, Young <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46701366/nba-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-silence-haters-2025-2026-new-teammates" rel="noopener">addressed his contract situation</a>, saying it isn’t a cause for concern amid the early stages of the regular season, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.</p><p>“I think it’s going to be great. I’m not worried about it,” Young told ESPN when asked about entering the season without an extension. “As much as I wish it was, it’s not all in my hands, and I can’t control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats … I understand what winning can do.</p><p>“If certain things don’t go my way as far as injuries, health, and stuff that I can’t control, that may be the man above telling me there’s another plan for me. I’m focused on making sure all my guys, Quin [Snyder] included, get taken care of and succeed.”</p><p>Winning remains Young’s primary focus. After Atlanta missed the playoffs last season, Trae sees a path for the Hawks to reach the upper echelon in this season’s open Eastern Conference. Young is in the fourth year of a five-year, $215.2 million deal, with a $48.9 million option for the 2026-27 season.</p><h2><b>Trae Young’s honest take on Hawks’ loss in season opener</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Hawks-All-Star-Trae-Young-3.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Hawks All-Star Trae Young was unhappy with his team’s performance in a 138-1118 blowout loss to the Raptors. It wasn’t an ideal way to start the season, and Young didn’t hold back in his postgame media availability.</p><p>“I don’t think there are too many positives you take from tonight,” Young said after the game. “Obviously, the result was what it was, and it’s embarrassing the way we started it.”</p><p>For Young, the loss was a byproduct of a lackadaisical approach.</p><p>“A lot of it comes from the preseason carryover,” Young said. “We didn’t really play, all 5 of us, and you can tell by the continuity we have out there, and it wasn’t right. That’s part of the NBA: the cream always rises to the top. We got some time to make it up, and we gotta get going.”</p><p>The Hawks will face the Bulls on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young nukes rumors of anger over lack of contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-the-35-million-gap-dyson-daniels-contract-extension-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: The $35 million gap in Dyson Daniels contract extension talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dyson-Daniels_e70c71.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: The $35 million gap in Dyson Daniels contract extension talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-20T07:36:33-07:00">October 20th, 7:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-20T07:36:33-07:00">October 20th, 7:36am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks are ready to compete in the Eastern Conference, and they have the talent on the team to do so. With having talent comes with bringing out the brink trunks, and the Hawks have a few players who are eligible for extensions. One of those players is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-the-player-dyson-daniels-using-reference-point-potential-contract-extension">Dyson Daniels, who is eligible to sign</a> his rookie extension.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Hawks and Daniels <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2025/10/20/nba-intel-christian-braun-and-dyson-daniels-extension-talks-bucks-wizards/86795782007/" rel="noopener">seem to be far apart</a> on a deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.</p><p>“Reigning NBA Most Improved Player, All-Defensive First Team selection, and steals champion Dyson Daniels and agent Daniel Moldovan have been seeking a five-year, $150 million deal during extension negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote.</p><p>“However, the Hawks have been closer to a ballpark range of five years, $115 million, during negotiations, league sources told HoopsHype. Should Daniels enter the summer of 2026 as a restricted free agent, Atlanta would have the ability to match any offer sheet if another team tries to sign him,” Scotto continues.</p><p>With the deadline approaching later in the day, there’s a good chance that these negotiations will happen after the season, and they may end up matching an offer sheet that a team signs him to.</p><h2><b>Dyson Daniels, Hawks far apart on extension </b></h2><p>Daniels had a breakout season for the Hawks after getting traded there last offseason, and he showed the league what he could truly do when he got minutes. He was arguably the best perimeter defender in the league, and he had the stats to back it up, finishing the season with the most steals and deflections.</p><p>Not only was he impressive on defense, but he his offensive game started to take form as well, and the Hawks put the ball in his hands to make plays at time. His play on both sides of the ball <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-drops-eye-opening-take-mip-repeat">earned him the Most Improved Player award</a>, and he was also in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.</p><p>The Hawks are now in a situation where they have a few players that they could extend, which include Daniels, Trae Young, and Kristaps Porzingis. For Daniels, though he showed improvement on offense, the Hawks probably want to see him take another step in that area of his game this season. He shot 34% from 3 last season, and if he can raise that this season while also making more strides in his offensive game, his contract negotiations could look different at the end of the year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: The $35 million gap in Dyson Daniels contract extension talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-the-player-dyson-daniels-using-reference-point-potential-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: The player Dyson Daniels is using as reference point for potential contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Daniels-dribbles.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: The player Dyson Daniels is using as reference point for potential contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T11:11:05-07:00">October 16th, 11:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T11:11:05-07:00">October 16th, 11:11am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, Atlanta Hawks fans collectively exhaled when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-trolls-trade-rumors-lebron-james-esque-fakeout">Trae Young’s cryptic social media announcement</a> turned out to be a tea ad. However, there is still some question over Young’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-what-fans-said-trae-youngs-cryptic-its-just-business-tweet">future in Atlanta</a> considering his current contract situation, and he’s not the only Atlanta player who fans would like to see signed to an extension.</p><p>Recently, Bobby Marks and Tim Bontemps of ESPN broke down what Hawks guard and reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels will be looking for <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46608383/everything-know-biggest-rookie-contract-extensions-2025-26-nba-dyson-daniels-walker-kessler-christian-braun" rel="noopener">on his next deal.</a></p><p>“His agent, Daniel Moldovan, is using the five-year, $150 million extension Jalen Suggs signed last year as the comparison for Daniels, while also assessing Trae Young’s uncertain future in Atlanta,” reported Marks and Bontemps.</p><p>Last year, the Hawks acquired Daniels in a deal that sent Dejounte Murray back to New Orleans. The Hawks eventually emerged as the clear winners of that trade, with Daniels blossoming into arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA, earning First Team All-Defense honors in the process, and also showing an expanded offensive game, which no doubt benefited from playing next to a talent like Young.</p><h2><b>An interesting time for the Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hawks-All-Star-Trae-Young1.jpg"><figcaption>BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Young and Daniels contract talks come at a time when the Hawks are looking forward to their most anticipated season in years, having added considerable talent to the roster this offseason in the form of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, and rookie Asa Newell.</p><p>The hope is that these players, combined with projected improvement from Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher, will be able to vault the Hawks into the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference, especially considering the high profile injuries that the conference is currently dealing with.</p><p>Of course, the NBA’s current second apron rules make it so that teams are punished for putting together good rosters, so if the Hawks’ vision comes to fruition, it’s likely that they’ll have to part with at least one of those key pieces eventually.</p><p>However, for now, Hawks fans will be looking forward to a season in which they’ll hope to finally get out of the play-in game carousel.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: The player Dyson Daniels is using as reference point for potential contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-trolls-trade-rumors-lebron-james-esque-fakeout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young trolls trade rumors with LeBron James-esque fakeout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Young-celebrates.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young trolls trade rumors with LeBron James-esque fakeout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T08:39:00-07:00">October 16th, 8:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T13:00:16-07:00">October 16th, 1:00pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Tuesday evening, Atlanta Hawks point guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-what-fans-said-trae-youngs-cryptic-its-just-business-tweet">Trae Young briefly alarmed</a> the fanbase by teasing an interview with NBA commentator Adam Lefkoe, seeming to hint as his reported discontentment with his contract situation with the team. The move came just days after Los Angeles Lakers star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-la-fan-lebron-james-second-decision-hennessy-ad">LeBron James’ own apparent big announcement</a> turned out to be nothing more than an advertisement.</p><p>On Wednesday, Hawks fans breathed a collective sigh of relief <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DP2WKKBkaJ9/" rel="noopener">when it turned out</a> that Young’s video announcement was something similar, his partnership with the Crooked Tea team. At the end of the video, he said, “It’s just business,” referencing an earlier post on X, formerly Twitter, with the same message that had fans buzzing.</p><p>Overall, Young’s false alarm might cause another big eyeroll from the NBA community in the wake of James’ similar decision, but Hawks fans will certainly be happy that it wasn’t something more.</p><h2><b>A big season in Atlanta</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trae-Young-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Atlanta Hawks are now less than a week away from kicking off their most highly anticipated season in years. The Atlanta front office, led by newly minted general manager Onsi Saleh, has been busy this offseason, trading for Kristaps Porzingis, signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard, drafting Asa Newell, and swindling the New Orleans Pelicans out of a potentially extremely valuable 2026 first-round pick.</p><p>The one situation that remains unresolved revolves around Trae Young’s contract. Marc J. Spears of ESPN reported that Young was “disappointed” that the Hawks didn’t offer him an extension, but it looks like the All-Star is content to play the year out and then potentially hit free agency next summer, where he would be sure to have a number of suitors.</p><p>Still, in the short term,  Young has been surrounded with far and away the best roster of his career, filled with length, shooting, and rim protection, all of the things he needs to accentuate his strengths and help cover for his weaknesses.</p><p>The Hawks are set to begin their season on October 22 at home against the Toronto Raptors.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young trolls trade rumors with LeBron James-esque fakeout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-dyson-daniels-atlanta-far-apart-potential-30-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta far apart as he seeks potential $30 million annual contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hawks-Dyson-Daniels.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta far apart as he seeks potential $30 million annual contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-05T10:59:44-07:00">October 5th, 10:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-05T10:59:44-07:00">October 5th, 10:59am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have some exciting young talent on the team that they’re hoping can take more leaps this season. One of those players is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-beats-ivica-zubac-most-improved-player-award">Dyson Daniels, who won the Most Improved Player</a> award last season after showing a jump on both sides of the ball. That was probably good news for Daniels, as he is now eligible for a rookie extension worth $30 million.</p><p>With the deadline coming on Oct. 20 for extensions to get done, it doesn’t seem like Daniels and the Hawks <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/restricted-free-agency-is-over-at?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=175311982&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">are close on a deal</a>, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>“I’m hearing there’s indeed some distance between Daniels and the Hawks in the early stages of these negotiations,” Stein wrote. “The Hawks, on one hand, could certainly take the stance that they have yet to see how effective Daniels can be in a playoff environment given his past shooting inconsistencies.</p><p>“Yet it’s likewise true that Daniels is the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player, who also made a run at Defensive Player of the Year last season. He would thus figure to be a restricted free agent in demand next summer — if it got that far — even if RFAs in 2026 are confronted by another suffocating marketplace.”</p><p>Last season, the Hawks went down to the wire with signing Jalen Johnson to his rookie extension, as he signed a five-year, $150 million deal the day of the deadline. That may be the case again, but this time with Daniels, especially if they don’t want this to linger into next offseason.</p><h2><b>Hawks have decision to make with Dyson Daniels</b></h2><p>Daniels had a big season last year, as he was one of the league’s best perimeter defenders. Though he was mostly known for his defense, he also showed some growth on the offensive side, which is probably the main reason for him winning Most Improved. There are still some areas where he can improve on that side of the ball, mostly his perimeter shooting, and the hope is that he can increase his percentages.</p><p>The Hawks have shown a willingness to wait to give big contracts this offseason, with the main example being <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-not-stressing-contract-negotiations">Trae Young, who was eligible</a> for an extension this summer.</p><p>Extending Young and Daniels would be good for the Hawks’ future, and the team has high expectations coming into this season with the new additions from the offseason that included Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta far apart as he seeks potential $30 million annual contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-insider-warning-trae-youngs-hawks-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Insider gives ‘murky’ warning on Trae Young’s future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Trae-Young-Hawks.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Insider gives ‘murky’ warning on Trae Young’s future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T12:44:19-07:00">September 9th, 12:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T12:44:19-07:00">September 9th, 12:44pm</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have consistently relied on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-what-atlanta-is-eager-to-see-before-making-trae-young-decision">Trae Young since his arrival at the franchise back in 2018</a>. Last season, he led the league in assists(11.6), averaged 24.2 points per game while shooting at almost 50% from the field, and earned his fourth overall and second consecutive All-Star nod.</p><p>Young is eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension that will rise to $345 million if he earns another All-Star selection next season. And yet, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon believes that his l<a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/09/09/long-term-outlook-for-trae-young-in-atlanta-murky/86056193007/" rel="noopener">ong-term future may be away </a>from Atlanta.</p><p>“The long-term outlook for Trae Young in Atlanta is murky at the minimum at this point. This is the guy who has been the face of the Atlanta Hawks for seven years..there are question marks about whether this is going to, you know, be a long-term marriage,” he said per HoopsHype, which presents an interesting scenario for competing teams.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-says-ready-compete-championship-exclusive">Young had only recently spoken to ClutchPoints about how he expects</a> the Hawks “to compete for something” in the upcoming season after making major changes this offseason. Atlanta has added Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson, Luke Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker already and do appear to be the strongest they have been since years, at least on paper.</p><p>However, the financials behind Young’s extension may be the source of the uncertainty, with the Hawks having last made the playoffs in the 2022-23 campaign with the 26-year-old at the helm.</p><p>As things stand, things could get interesting in the coming time. If Atlanta does not want to offer him the extension he is eligible for, the player will enter the next offseason with multiple options.</p><p>He can take on the player option for the 2026-27 campaign or negotiate a multi-year deal with Atlanta then, considering a number of teams can be expected to be interested in him. The upcoming campaign and how well the Hawks are able to compete in the East may play a major role in determining the direction in which this saga goes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Insider gives ‘murky’ warning on Trae Young’s future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-what-atlanta-is-eager-to-see-before-making-trae-young-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: What Atlanta is ‘eager to see’ before making Trae Young decision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jalen-Johnson-and-Trae-Young-on-the-floor-for-the-Hawks.jpg"><figcaption>Eric Hartline-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: What Atlanta is ‘eager to see’ before making Trae Young decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-24T22:29:30-07:00">August 24th, 10:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-24T22:29:30-07:00">August 24th, 10:29pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-buy-sell-trae-young-splashy-offseason">Atlanta Hawks were one of the most active teams</a> of the offseason, adding the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard to supplement their rising young core led by superstar guard Trae Young. Young led the league in assists this past season, and is a nightly 25-10 threat, but he’s found himself in trade rumors in recent years amid concerns regarding his viability as a franchise talent.</p><p>But it has become apparent in the Hawks’ dealing this offseason that they still believe in Young’s capability to lead a franchise, as long as he has the right talent around him. This tracks with the latest report from NBA insider Marc Stein, who mentioned that Atlanta is raring to take <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/08/24/addendum-from-me-im-told-that-the-hawks-are-eager-to/85810910007/" rel="noopener">an extended look</a> at the partnership between Young and budding star Jalen Johnson.</p><p>“Addendum from me: I’m told that the Hawks are eager to see more of Young alongside versatile swingman Jalen Johnson — who was limited to 36 games last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury — as they make determinations about their big-picture future,” Stein wrote, via HoopsHype.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-jalen-johnson-gets-brutally-honest-his-injury-absence">Johnson was in the middle of a big year</a> before a shoulder injury cut his season short in January. Before his season-ending torn labrum, the Hawks forward was averaging 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 50/31/75 shooting splits — improving his game by leaps and bounds with each passing year.</p><p>With the 6’9″, highflying forward expanding his game, Young has the ideal running mate and pick-and-roll partner who’s capable of dominating the paint as well as making plays off the bounce. And with the Hawks bringing Porzingis in, Johnson will have so much more space in the paint — paving the way for a possible 20-points per game season from the 23-year-old forward.</p><p>With the Eastern Conference being wide open, the Hawks’ patience in building around Young could pay off in the form of a top-four seed in the playoffs in 2026.</p><h2><b>Trae Young, Hawks look to seize opportunity in wide-open Eastern Conference</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Young-vs-the-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks front office clearly sense blood in the water, and the opportunity is there for them to be a top-three seed in a weaker East amid down seasons from the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics and Tyrese Haliburton-less Indiana Pacers.</p><p>This is setting up to be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-makes-case-dyson-daniels-winning-dpoy">most exciting season for the Hawks</a> since their run to the Conference Finals in 2021, and Young, armed with rangy defenders around him, has the opportunity to prove himself as a legitimate franchise talent worthy of having a team being built around his talents.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: What Atlanta is ‘eager to see’ before making Trae Young decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-why-trae-young-contract-extension-will-be-slow-play');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Why Trae Young contract extension will be a ‘slow play’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Why-Trae-Young-contract-extension-will-be-a-slow-play2.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Why Trae Young contract extension will be a ‘slow play’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-11T19:24:25-07:00">August 11th, 7:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-11T19:24:25-07:00">August 11th, 7:24pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trae Young may have interest in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-rumors-real-reason-trae-young-disappointed-contract-extension-talks">wanting to remain with the Atlanta Hawks</a> for the long term. However, it might take time for a contract extension to come to fruition.</p><p>Young has been with the Hawks for seven years since the team selected him fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. He’s led the squad since, navigating the offense as their star shooter and playmaker.</p><p>Unfortunately, Atlanta has yet to present him a max contract extension despite his efforts. He led the team to their Conference Finals in 2021, their first since 1970. He also earned four All-Star selections and landed on one All-NBA team in 2022. However, that seems to not be enough for the organization to budge.</p><p>NBA insider Bobby Marks <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1955030002971344920" rel="noopener">gave his thoughts on the situation</a> during a Aug. 11 episode of NBA on ESPN. On his end, he believes it to be an action from Atlanta to play the long game with the star guard.</p><p>“From Trae Young’s perspective, you’re looking at this Atlanta team that’s projected to finish fourth per ESPN bet in the Eastern Conference. And you’re saying, ‘Wait a minute, I’m looking at the market. We’ve got potentially 10 teams. We’ve got a third of next year’s teams that have cap space here. Am I willing to commit long term if I’m not liking where the price is right now?’ So I think this is going to be a slow play as far as where both sides are going to go,” Marks said.</p><p>“I do think there’s a middle ground as far as reaching that commitment here, but I do think from Atlanta’s perspective, you’re looking, ‘Wait a minute, let’s see how this roster fits before we’re willing to commit long term to Trae Young.'”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I think this is going to be a slow play as far as where both sides are going to go.”<a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BobbyMarks42</a> breaks down why the Hawks and Trae Young may be taking some time to reach an agreement on an extension 👀 <a href="https://t.co/FLy4kd3nAr">pic.twitter.com/FLy4kd3nAr</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1955030002971344920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What lies ahead for Trae Young, Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Why-Trae-Young-contract-extension-will-be-a-slow-play1.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s a risky play for the Hawks to play with Trae Young, but it could help them think of the long term.</p><p>Atlanta has been active this offseason, landing the additions of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. As a result, they have a talented roster that can compete in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Young has two years remaining on his contract, with the second being a player option. His future would be dependent on the team’s success, making this upcoming season a crucial one for the franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Why Trae Young contract extension will be a ‘slow play’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-real-reason-trae-young-disappointed-contract-extension-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: The real reason Trae Young is ‘disappointed’ by contract extension talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Young-vs-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: The real reason Trae Young is ‘disappointed’ by contract extension talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-10T10:38:51-07:00">August 10th, 10:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-10T10:38:51-07:00">August 10th, 10:38am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the less talked about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-trae-young-disappointed-atlanta-hasnt-offered-max-extension">storylines for the Atlanta Hawks</a> amid their busy offseason is the contract status of point guard Trae Young. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-how-trae-young-become-eligible-350-million-max-contract">Young has been hoping</a> for an extension, one that has not come yet, and he could be slated to hit unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of this season.</p><p>Recently, NBA insider Marc J. Spears reported that Young was “disappointed” that Atlanta hadn’t offered a new deal, and now, Jake Fischer is reporting further on Young’s <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-lots-of-fresh?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=170510781&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">state of mind</a> amid the talks (or lack thereof).</p><p>“The reported disappointment Young is said to be feeling about his contract status appears to stem largely from the fact that the Hawks never really broached an extension at all,” reported Fischer, per Marc Stein’s Substack.</p><p>However, Fischer also noted that “Young’s side has actually been resigned for some time to the prospect of seeing out the final guaranteed year on his current contract rather than securing an extension, like his current contract, worth in excess of $200 million.”</p><p>If Young makes an All-NBA Team this year, he would be eligible for a $350 million deal next season.</p><h2><b>A big decision for the Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Young-vs-the-Bulls.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Atlanta has made a flurry of moves this offseason, each seemingly designed to build a contender tailor-made to accentuate Trae Young’s strengths and cover for his weaknesses.</p><p>Atlanta gave themselves a true rim protector and floor spacer on the other end in Kristaps Porzingis, and also added two elite wing shooters in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard (Alexander-Walker is also one of the better perimeter defenders in the league).</p><p>However, the engine that makes the machine work has always been Young, the polarizing point guard who led Atlanta on its deepest playoff run in franchise history four years ago and hasn’t been able to recapture that magic sense.</p><p>Given the Hawks’ tepid history of attracting star talent, it’s likely that the team would be more willing than most to pay slightly above market value for a player like Young, who, for all his well-documented flaws, is one of the best pure playmakers of his generation.</p><p>However, nothing appears to have materialized between the two sides at this point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: The real reason Trae Young is ‘disappointed’ by contract extension talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-how-trae-young-become-eligible-350-million-max-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: How Trae Young would become eligible for $350 million max contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Young-vs-the-Bulls.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: How Trae Young would become eligible for $350 million max contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-10T10:07:15-07:00">August 10th, 10:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-10T10:07:15-07:00">August 10th, 10:07am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have had one of the busier offseasons in the NBA landscape this year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-kristaps-porzingis-atlanta-better-than-boston-revelation">trading for Kristaps Porzingis</a> and signing Nickeil-Alexander and Luke Kennard in free agency. It’s all been part of a concerted effort to build a viable contender <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/move-atlanta-hawks-shouldve-made-2025-nba-offseason">around All-Star point guard Trae Young</a>.</p><p>One of the other key storylines involving the Hawks this summer has involved a potential contract extension for Young–he has a player option at the end of the upcoming 2025-26 season. As of yet, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement on any such deal.</p><p>Recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer took to Marc Stein’s Substack to break down the <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-lots-of-fresh?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=170510781&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">state of those talks</a> at the current juncture.</p><p>“…league sources tell me there are no plans for Young and the Hawks to engage in extension talks this summer,” reported Fischer.</p><p>Fischer also noted that he “wouldn’t be a surprise if Young could achieve All-NBA status in 2025-26 for just the second time in his career. And if that happens he’d be eligible for a five-year contract extension next summer in the $350 million range.”</p><p>Such a move would come after the end of this season, one that is filled with as much promise for the Hawks as there has been in years.</p><h2><b>Can the Hawks compete?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hawks-Trae-Young-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Entering this summer, there was plenty of motivation for middling East teams like the Hawks to try to push their chips to the center of the table considering the injury-riddled state of the conference.</p><p>Atlanta did just that by acquiring Porzingis, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard, in addition to drafting Asa Newell and acquiring what could be a highly valuable 2026 NBA Draft pick in the process.</p><p>In theory, the Hawks have built far and away the most suitable for roster for Young so far in his career, providing him plenty of spacing on the offensive end of the floor, with enough ranginess and rim protection to help him out on defense.</p><p>If the Hawks indeed break through and put together a considerable playoff run this year, it’s not hard to imagine Young and the team working something out the ensuing summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: How Trae Young would become eligible for $350 million max contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-trae-young-disappointed-atlanta-hasnt-offered-max-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Trae Young ‘disappointed’ that Atlanta hasn’t offered max extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Young-vs-the-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Trae Young ‘disappointed’ that Atlanta hasn’t offered max extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-05T14:19:35-07:00">August 5th, 2:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-05T14:49:10-07:00">August 5th, 2:49pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/move-atlanta-hawks-shouldve-made-2025-nba-offseason">Atlanta Hawks have had</a> one of the busiest offseasons of any team in the NBA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-kristaps-porzingis-atlanta-better-than-boston-revelation">trading for Kristaps Porzingis</a> and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard in free agency, among other moves. It’s all been part of an effort to build a viable roster around Trae Young, something Atlanta has largely failed to do up to this point in the All-Star’s career.</p><p>Of course, Young is still the engine that makes the Hawks go, and Atlanta fans would certainly like to see him around for the long haul, especially considering the new additions.</p><p>Young is currently eligible for a four-year maximum extension, but recently, Mark Spears took to ESPN’s <i>NBA Today</i> <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1952810224231788841" rel="noopener">to shed light on</a> the state of things between the Hawks and their point guard.</p><p>“What I’m hearing now at this point…I think he’s disappointed that it hasn’t come, it hasn’t been offered,” said Spears, via Oh No He Didn’t on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Young also raised eyebrows when he recently commented on a publicized trade request from Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, <a href="https://x.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1951404436309549427" rel="noopener">writing the following</a> on X: “This why you pay the man early, when someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now!</p><p>“Get what you deserve bro!”</p><p>Some fans took this as a not-so-subtle warning to the Hawks to go and offer him the max.</p><h2><b>An intriguing Hawks team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hawks-Trae-Young-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Assuming Young and the Hawks eventually do come to an agreement to keep the star in Atlanta long-term, the Hawks could have one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference next season.</p><p>Atlanta has long been trying to add versatile wings and three-point shooting around Young to help accentuate his strengths and cover for his weaknesses, and this offseason, they were able to do just that with a series of savvy acquisitions.</p><p>This, combined with the current injury-weakened state of the Eastern Conference, could be enough to vault Atlanta into contention for the first time since they made the conference finals back in 2021.</p><p>The Hawks’ schedule is slated to be released later this month.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Trae Young ‘disappointed’ that Atlanta hasn’t offered max extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-trae-young-max-extension-prediction-brian-windhorst');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Trae Young gets max extension prediction from Brian Windhorst');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Young-vs-the-Heat.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Trae Young gets max extension prediction from Brian Windhorst</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-30T13:32:40-07:00">July 30th, 1:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-30T13:32:40-07:00">July 30th, 1:32pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have had a busy offseason, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-kristaps-porzingis-atlanta-better-than-boston-revelation">trading for Kristaps Porzingis</a> and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard, among other moves. It’s all been part of the team’s plan to finally put a sensible roster together <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-insider-atlanta-trae-young-contract-extension-warning">around point guard Trae Young</a>, who made another All-Star team last season.</p><p>Of course, in order for that plan to work, Young himself will have to be around for the long haul, and he has a player option on his contract after the upcoming season, meaning he could hit free agency.</p><p>This being the case, the pressure is on the team to get an extension done with Young, preferably at some point this offseason, but recently, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R0GS-Pv-08&amp;t=694s" rel="noopener">a bold prediction</a> about what that deal may look like (via Sam Allred of Soaring Down South).</p><p>“They’re not going to give him a max extension,” said Windhorst, via the Hoop Collective podcast. “So will he accept something less than that? We’ll see. That’ll be something that will be a factor going into the season.”</p><p>It’s unclear at this point why Windhorst doesn’t foresee a max contract on the horizon for Young considering that the Hawks don’t exactly have a historical reputation for bringing in All-Star level players, so they generally like to keep the ones they have, even if it means paying a hefty price.</p><h2><b>A new-look Hawks team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Grizzlies-guard-Luke-Kennard-vs.-Hawks-Trae-Young.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks have been mired in NBA purgatory for the last several years, ever since their surprise Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021.</p><p>It looked like more of the same was going to be on the horizon going forward; however, last year Atlanta showed some signs of life with the young trio of Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson, and this offseason they attempted to capitalize on that momentum with a flurry of trades and free agent signings.</p><p>Those moves, combined with the current weakened state of the East as a result of various injuries, could vault the Hawks into the upper echelon of the conference in 2025-26 with a little bit of luck on the health front.</p><p>The Hawks’ schedule for the 2025-26 season will be released in August.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Trae Young gets max extension prediction from Brian Windhorst

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-rumors-bucks-hawks-among-teams-marcus-smart-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks, Hawks among teams that considered Marcus Smart trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Marcus-Smart-1.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks, Hawks among teams that considered Marcus Smart trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-29T06:31:21-07:00">July 29th, 6:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-29T06:31:21-07:00">July 29th, 6:31am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before Marcus Smart reached a buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards and ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, several NBA contenders were actively exploring trades <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-player-marcus-smart-replaced-makes-next-career-move">for the former Defensive Player of the Year</a>. According to <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/monday-best-the-latest-hottest-and?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=169505949&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">reporting from insiders</a> Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat all made v<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-marcus-smart-signing-winning-proclamation-rob-pelinka">arying inquiries about Smart’s availability</a> leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft.</p><p>The Hawks, fresh off one of the most aggressive offseasons in the league, reportedly considered absorbing Smart’s $22 million expiring contract into their $25 million traded player exception generated by the Dejounte Murray deal.</p><p>While Atlanta ultimately pivoted toward acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, their pursuit of Smart reveals concerns about whether young guard Kobe Bufkin is ready to handle full-time backup duties. Smart, a rugged defender with combo guard versatility, would’ve been an ideal mentor, or even long-term option, for a Hawks team squarely in win-now mode.</p><h2><b>The Bucks and Heat were also in the mix for Marcus Smart</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Marcus-Smart-2.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Bucks, meanwhile, were searching for perimeter defenders to bolster their aging core and explored a deal that would have sent Pat Connaughton’s expiring $9.4 million contract to Washington in a package for Smart or Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins. Connaughton was instead dealt to Charlotte for future second-rounders, but Milwaukee’s interest in Smart underscores how highly the veteran is still regarded around the league.</p><p>The Miami Heat also reportedly made a play for Smart, though the details of their offer remain unclear.</p><p>In the end, Washington found no acceptable trade partner and opted for a buyout, allowing Smart to join the Lakers. The level of interest in Smart before his buyout reaffirms his value as a high-impact defender and leader, and it highlights the competitive urgency across the East.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks, Hawks among teams that considered Marcus Smart trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-insider-atlanta-trae-young-contract-extension-warning');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Insider slaps Atlanta with Trae Young contract extension warning');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Young-speaks.jpg"><figcaption>BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Insider slaps Atlanta with Trae Young contract extension warning</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-20T10:52:28-07:00">July 20th, 10:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-20T10:52:28-07:00">July 20th, 10:52am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-atlanta-poaches-free-agent-sharpshooter-divisional-rival">Atlanta Hawks have had a busy offseason</a> in 2025, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-kristaps-porzingis-perfect-scenario-atlanta">trading for Kristaps Porzingis</a>, signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard in free agency, and drafting Asa Newell. And those things don’t even mention arguably the Hawks’ biggest win of this summer, swindling the New Orleans Pelicans out of their 2026 first-round pick swap with the Milwaukee Bucks during this year’s draft.</p><p>One key storyline that the Hawks have yet to address this offseason is a potential contract extension for Trae Young. Recently, NBA insider Bobby Marks hit Atlanta with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVx5BwKapLU&amp;start=147" rel="noopener">a harsh warning</a> about what that may look like.</p><p>“I would approach it with an extension but not at the 4 (years) for 222 (million) number here,” stated Marks, per NBA Today. “I think we are at a day and age of roster building where you have to be extremely careful when you hand out max contracts, where you are averaging out $55 million.”</p><p>Marks also clarified that “Trae Young is certainly an All-Star level player. I’m not putting him up there in a Top 15, maybe even Top 20 in the NBA. I want to see how this roster develops,” per Yardbarker.</p><h2><b>A big decision for the Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Young.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Trae Young has long been one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, undeniably one of the league’s most talented offensive engines but with well-documented flaws defensively that may make him more difficult to build around than other star players.</p><p>If a perfect roster to surround Young with exists, the Hawks have certainly come close to building it this offseason. While Young is a small guard, Atlanta has implemented size and shooting at every other position on the floor, giving Young the most defensively versatile roster he’s ever worked with, as well as his best shooting teammates since 2021, when Atlanta made the Eastern Conference Finals.</p><p>Young and the Hawks don’t have to come to an agreement on extension in the immediate future, and it’s likely that the team will let things play out before deciding how they want to proceed for their franchise’s best player of the modern era.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Insider slaps Atlanta with Trae Young contract extension warning

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-rumors-atlanta-not-having-substantial-talks-trae-young-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks rumors: Atlanta not having ‘substantial talks’ on Trae Young contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hawks-star-Trae-Young-drives-down-the-court.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks rumors: Atlanta not having ‘substantial talks’ on Trae Young contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-14T14:31:18-07:00">July 14th, 2:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-14T14:31:18-07:00">July 14th, 2:31pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-shams-declares-hawks-rockets-cooking-in-free-agency">Hawks made a flurry of moves</a> during the offseason to help improve their team going into next season, and they have a chance to build off of what they were able to do last year. One of the first moves they made was to trade for Kristaps Porzingis, and soon after, they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-nickeil-alexander-walkers-high-hopes-defensive-partnership-dyson-daniels">added Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard</a> in free agency.</p><p>The one player involved in those two free agency signings was Trae Young, who helped recruit Alexander-Walker and Kennard to join the team. Though Young has helped the team this offseason, there <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1944840395768389875" rel="noopener">seems to be little progress</a> on a contract extension for himself, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.</p><p>“He’s really excited with this young team,” Spears said. “Believes that they can be a contender if they’re healthy. But the one question remains: what happens with his extension? He has a potential, four-year, $229 million extension.</p><p>“Right now, there are no substantial talks in terms of an extension at the moment.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trae Young turned down a trip to Greece with Jordan Brand to support the Hawks' Summer League team in Las Vegas, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarcJSpears</a>.</p><p>"He's really excited with this young team. Believes that they can be a contender if they're healthy." <a href="https://t.co/vXwQqnG8Vr">pic.twitter.com/vXwQqnG8Vr</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1944840395768389875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Young has proven throughout his career that he can raise the floor of a team when he’s on the court with his scoring and playmaking ability. He should be considered one of the better guards in the league, and there’s no question he should be paid like it.</p><h2><b>Hawks looking to make run in Eastern Conference</b></h2><p>The Hawks look like a different team than last season with the depth they’ve added over the offseason, and they have a chance to be among the best in the Eastern Conference. With the injuries to players such as Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, the conference is wide open, and teams have made moves to help them be competitive next season.</p><p>The Hawks are one of those teams, and with the core they already have, things are looking up for them. Jalen Johnson missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, and everyone is expecting him to come back and have a strong year like he did when he was healthy. Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher showed growth throughout last season, and they should be able to take another leap with the team.</p><p>Young will continue to be the dynamic player he is, and it’s safe to say he has the necessary pieces around him to try and make some noise in the East. If this team can stay relatively healthy, they should definitely be someone to watch out for at the end of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks rumors: Atlanta not having ‘substantial talks’ on Trae Young contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-kevin-durant-trade-7-team-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets’ Kevin Durant trade becomes 7-team deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-Kevin-Durant-2.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets’ Kevin Durant trade becomes 7-team deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-06T10:42:49-07:00">July 6th, 10:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-06T10:43:03-07:00">July 6th, 10:43am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have officially finalized what is an NBA-record seven-team trade deal that most prominently sees <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/the-next-trade-rockets-must-make-after-acquiring-kevin-durant-from-suns">Kevin Durant arrive from the Phoenix Suns</a>. Durant becomes the centerpiece on the trade deal that now also involves the likes of the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, in addition to the Suns and Rockets.</p><p>The Rockets and the Suns decided to expand the trade to <a href="https://x.com/FredKatz/status/1941891199482180090" rel="noopener">consolidate a set of previously agreed-upon trades</a>, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. The move was made as a result of the seven teams trying to save time on trade calls. Instead of making several trade calls, the decision allows <a href="https://x.com/FredKatz/status/1941883371589685423" rel="noopener">all the deals to be worked into one</a>.</p><p>“This is basically teams trying to save times on trade calls. Instead of having to do a bunch of different trade calls, now they just have to do one. So they worked it into one seven-team deal,” Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Rockets-Suns Kevin Durant trade morphs into seven-team deal</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Suns-superstar-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Atlanta Hawks offloaded Capela, receiving cash consideration, a traded player exception, as well as a 2031 second-round pick swap from the Rockets. Further, the Nets also received two second-round picks, while the Warriors received the rights to Alex Toohey and Jahmai Mashack.</p><p>The Lakers received the rights to Adou Thiero from the Nets, with the Timberwolves receiving a two second-round picks as well as the rights to Rocco Zikarsky, in addition to a traded player exception for Nickeil Alexander-Walker while covering half of his salary. </p><p>The hefty trade deal becomes an NBA record-setter despite most of the moves not being dependant on each other. The involved teams simply decided to save time and do not receive any financial advantage by integrating all of the above agreements in one single deal. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets’ Kevin Durant trade becomes 7-team deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/nba-rumors-hawks-couldnt-believe-pelicans-draft-trade-offer');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Hawks literally couldn’t believe Pelicans’ draft trade offer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Derik-Queen-stands-with-NBA-commissioner-Adam-Silver.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Hawks literally couldn’t believe Pelicans’ draft trade offer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-03T08:21:26-07:00">July 3rd, 8:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-03T08:21:26-07:00">July 3rd, 8:21am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pelicans-news-new-orleans-trade-1st-round-picks-hawks-derik-queen">New Orleans Pelicans traded up for the Atlanta Hawks’ No. 13 pick</a> of the 2025 NBA Draft, nobody could believe what had just occurred. Upon receiving the offer, even the Hawks reportedly did not believe the deal.</p><p>After fielding the phone call, Atlanta could not believe its “good fortune,” according to Pelicans reporter Shamit Dua. The front office <a href="https://intheno.substack.com/p/queens-gambit-inside-the-pelicans" rel="noopener">reportedly had to double-check</a> with New Orleans’ Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, before sending it through.</p><p>“Suffice to say — the league was stunned, and so was Atlanta,” Dua wrote. “The Hawks could not believe their good fortune. While the Pelicans would spend the next 24 hours facing enormous backlash for their reckless decision-making, Hawks executives weren’t shy about sharing the details behind the deal’s lopsided structure with rival teams… It got to the point where Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh called Joe Dumars directly to confirm for himself. The Hawks waited nervously for Dumars to confirm, hoping he would not realize what was going on and walk the trade back. But the Pelicans persisted, and the Hawks got their steal.”</p><p>The deal involved Atlanta sending the No. 13 pick to New Orleans in exchange for the No. 23 pick and a 2026 first-rounder. The Pelicans used their second lottery pick on Maryland center Derik Queen, while the Hawks settled on Georgia forward Asa Newell.</p><p>The highly criticized deal fell on Dumars’ shoulders. The recently-hired executive just used the No. 7 pick on guard Jeremiah Fears before trading up for a player in Queen, whom many saw as a mid-to-late first-round prospect.</p><h2><b>Hawks’ NBA Draft trades</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Atlanta-Hawks-head-coach-Quin-Snyder.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The trade capped off an eventful week for Atlanta. The Hawks notably acquired center Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics the week before the draft. The deal only cost them their original No. 22 pick — which turned out to be guard Drake Powell — guard Terance Mann and forward Georges Niang.</p><p>Since the draft, Atlanta has kept busy in free agency. They have since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-nickeil-alexander-walker-sign-and-trade-with-timberwolves">come to terms with free agents Nickeil Alexander-Walker</a>, Dorian Finney-Smith and Luke Kennard. The Hawks lost center Clint Capela, who signed with the Houston Rockets, but functionally replaced him with the more versatile Porzingis.</p><p>Given their moves, it is difficult to see Atlanta’s offseason as anything other than a massive success. Assuming Jalen Johnson returns to full strength, the Hawks have a strong chance of returning to the top of the Eastern Conference in 2025-2026.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Hawks literally couldn’t believe Pelicans’ draft trade offer

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-shams-declares-hawks-rockets-cooking-in-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Shams declares Hawks, Rockets ‘cooking’ in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jalen-Johnson-2.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Shams declares Hawks, Rockets ‘cooking’ in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-01T08:30:35-07:00">July 1st, 8:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-01T08:30:35-07:00">July 1st, 8:30am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-the-role-trae-young-played-atlanta-early-free-agency-spree">first day of NBA free agency</a> is always exciting, and of course, people love to name early winners and losers as soon as the day is over. There are two teams in particular that have <a href="https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1940039557820424351" rel="noopener">caught the eyes</a> of the rest of the league, and they’ve been given their props, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“When I talk to people around the league, they say the Hawks and the Rockets are ‘cooking,'” Charania said on ESPN.</p><p>“You think about it from Atlanta’s perspective, going out to get Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a big-tie two-way type of player, he had a big-time playoff run,” Charania continued. “Then you go get Luke Kennard, he’s been one of the best shooters in the NBA. Atlanta got Kristaps Porzingis as well.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shams Charania: "When I talk to people around the league, they say the Hawks and the Rockets are 'cooking.'" <a href="https://t.co/NAt9TAw6o8">pic.twitter.com/NAt9TAw6o8</a></p><p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1940039557820424351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Houston has done even more business than Atlanta overall. We know about the Kevin Durant trade, but they go and get Clint Capela at center, and then Dorian Finney-Smith, and he was the most interesting free agent out there.”</p><p>Both the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-nickeil-alexander-walker-sign-and-trade-with-timberwolves">Hawks and Rockets were aggressive</a> to start out free agency, but they also made moves prior to help improve their team. It would be interesting to see if they plan on making more moves as the free agency period continues.</p><h2><b>Hawks, Rockets working hard in free agency</b></h2><p>Not only does Charania think that the Hawks did their big one in free agency, but ESPN’s Tim Bontemps also thinks the Hawks have positioned themselves to be atop the Eastern Conference.</p><p>“The Hawks have gotten a bunch of guys that want to be there, who have shooting and perimeter defense,” Bontemps said on Get Up. “This is a team I think is now a top 4 in the East, better than the Celtics… better than the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta is on the rise in the East.”</p><p>With the current landscape of the Eastern Conference, there’s a good chance that the Hawks could be one of the top teams in the East if they can stay healthy.</p><p>For the Rockets, they were one of the top teams in the Western Conference last season, and things shouldn’t change with Durant, Finney-Smith, and Capela on the team. They have proven veterans on their team, and one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen in Durant. In a crowded conference, the Rockets have what it takes to go up against some of the best.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Shams declares Hawks, Rockets ‘cooking’ in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-rockets-hawks-fighting-make-multiple-wing-splashes');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets, Hawks fighting to make multiple wing splashes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dorian-Finney-Smith-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets, Hawks fighting to make multiple wing splashes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T14:30:05-07:00">June 30th, 2:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T14:30:05-07:00">June 30th, 2:30pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA free agency is about to open and the frenzy of player movement will take over the league in the coming weeks. Teams are eager to make big swings and improve their rosters, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-rockets-biggest-threat-steal-away-key-lakers-free-agent">Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks are two teams</a> trying to take a step up into the tier of contenders in their respective conferences.</p><p>In order to do that, both teams need to add more depth on the wing. From the sounds of it, it looks like they are <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-absolute-latest-nba-free-agency?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167190832&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">both in good position</a> to do so, with the Rockets eyeing both Dorian Finney-Smith and Luke Kennard, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.</p><p>“In addition to its well-chronicled interest in Dorian Finney-Smith, Houston wants to explore the feasibility of signing Luke Kennard,” Fischer and Stein wrote.”</p><p>Meanwhile, out in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks are hot after former Minnesota Timberwolves guard after Nickeil Alexander-Walker in addition to Kennard.</p><p>“The Hawks and Nuggets, sources say, also have interest in Kennard,” Fischer and Stein reported. “Atlanta landing both Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would mark noted boosts to its wing rotation.”</p><p>At the moment, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/rockets-news-houston-emerges-as-serious-dorian-finney-smith-suitor">Rockets seem to be the frontrunner for Finney-Smith</a> after he opted out of the final year of his contact with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Florida product is a big wing who can defend and shoots the 3-ball better than the league average, so he will fit right in next to Kevin Durant with the new-look Rockets if they can finalize a deal.</p><p>On the Hawks side, Alexander-Walker would add another long, versatile defender to a wing room that is already loaded with talent in Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher. Alexander-Walker can also handle the ball some on offense and knock down shots from the perimeter, making him a coveted target in free agency.</p><p>Kennard is one of the best bench shooters in this class, so it comes as no surprise that playoff contenders everywhere are after his services.</p><p>If the Hawks and Rockets can get their hands on some of these top wings in this free agent class, they could both be in position to make deep playoff runs next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets, Hawks fighting to make multiple wing splashes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/nba-rumors-hawks-poised-beat-out-pistons-coveted-timberwolves-free-agent');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Hawks poised to beat out Pistons for coveted Timberwolves free agent');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Wolves_-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Hawks poised to beat out Pistons for coveted Timberwolves free agent</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T08:43:28-07:00">June 30th, 8:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T08:44:27-07:00">June 30th, 8:44am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When following the devastating rash of injuries that flooded the Eastern Conference during the 2025 NBA playoffs, there were a few teams that immediately stood out as emerging contenders who could capitalize on the massive misfortune. Despite boasting an intriguing core, the Atlanta Hawks were not one of them. However, they are now forcing the public to rethink how it views the franchise’s current place in the NBA hierarchy.</p><p>Onsi Saleh is making moves in his first year as general manager, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/why-hawks-made-right-choice-kristaps-porzingis-trade">acquiring Kristaps Porzingis</a> in a three-team trade and stunningly acquiring a 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans while also moving down to select versatile wing Asa Newell in the NBA Draft. His ambition is expected to carry over into free agency. Atlanta has its eye on <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-freshest-and-hottest-nba?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=167147450&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">an impactful role player</a> who is commanding a good amount of interest around the league.</p><p>“The Hawks are now being more frequently projected by rival teams as the team in pole position — ahead of Detroit — to acquire Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a potential sign-and-trade deal with Minnesota,” Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report. “The Hawks can comfortably absorb Alexander-Walker into their $25.3 million traded player exception that was created a year ago when Dejounte Murray was shipped to New Orleans.”</p><h2><b>How would Nickeil-Alexander Walker fit with Hawks?</b></h2><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves are solidifying their frontcourt by re-signing both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, which means financial sacrifices will have to made elsewhere. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported over the weekend that Atlanta was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-pistons-hawks-leaders-steal-away-timberwolves-free-agent-nickeil-alexander-walker">gaining momentum in the Alexander-Walker sweepstakes</a>, and that development is only intensifying as the free agent feeding frenzy quickly approaches.</p><p>Detroit desperately seeks a contingency plan amid <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pistons-news-free-agency-target-malik-beasley-gambling-investigation">the Malik Beasley gambling investigation</a>, so the Hawks will have fierce competition for the 3-and-D wing’s services. That might not be an issue for Onsi Saleh, however, given the proactive mindset he is clearly operating with this summer. Although Alexander-Walker has sometimes gotten lost in the shuffle in Minnesota, he fits Atlanta’s evolving identity and addresses the team’s biggest weaknesses.</p><p>The 26-year-old Canadian, who is the cousin of 2025 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-2025-finals-mvp">NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</a>, posted 9.4 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range in 25.3 minutes per contest last season. He has also proven to be a highly capable defender during the first six years of his professional career. The Hawks shot just 35.8 percent from distance in 2024-25, ranking 18th in the league, and were bottom-five in points allowed and opponents’ field goal and 3-point shooting percentage.</p><p>Theoretically, those numbers should improve if Nickeil Alexander-Walker joins the squad. Regardless of who Atlanta decides to pursue with its trade exception, this organization is clearly intent on establishing itself as a team to watch in the ever-changing Eastern landscape.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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