Regardless of whether some think this is a good deal or if it is good for the future of this franchise, the deal is officially done. Joe Johnson has agreed to terms with the Atlanta Hawks and will get somewhere around $120 million over the next six years. Whether you like the deal or not, you have to give this much maligned ownership group credit. They set out to keep Joe Johnson this summer, and they did just that. Now that this is done, what is next? The Hawks have reportedly committed to making this a championship caliber team.
More after the jump
Credit to Yardbarker.com for image.
I talked some about the next move in this entry.
The Hawks are reportedly shopping Marvin Williams. The Golden State Warriors have apparently contacted the Hawks about a possible deal. Now that there is a rumored three way trade between Golden State, New York, and Minnesota that would net the Warriors Al Jefferson, Andris Biedrins could very well be the chip the Warriors will try to use to get a small foward. As I said, Andris would give the Hawks a solid back up big man that can play 20 to 25 minutes a night and give Al Horford a chance to play the power foward position more during the games.
Chris Paul will reportedly be a Hornet at the start of the season. Though this is unlikely, I wouldn’t quite consider this dead just yet. Chris Paul has already voiced his frustration with the Hornets, and Atlanta has a nice trading chip in Josh Smith to get him if they want.
The Wizards are reportedly interested in Josh Childress. I think a sign and trade opportunity could present itself here, with Kirk Hinrich a likely option.
The Hawks have a good chance of making a push this offseason if the owners are definitely committed. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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