The Atlanta Hawks have supposedly set a number on a Dyson Daniels number that they are willing to pay, and they won’t go over it. Much like Jalen Johnson’s extension came down to the final moments, expect Daniels’ extension situation to be similar. Brian Windhorst spoke about it on The Hoop Collective podcast:
“The Hawks, last year, went all the way down to the buzzer with Jalen Johnson, who was a high-upside player,” Windhorst said. “And I think, on the day that they did the deal, I think Jalen was pretty happy. I think he got them to move right at the end. I think Trey Murphy had gotten a pretty good number early on that deadline day. He ended up getting five years and $150 [million]. But it’s a flat contract, I believe 30 straight across the board. And I think the Hawks felt really good about where they got him at. Obviously, he was having a pretty big breakout season last year before an injury.
“But I think it’s instructive about how the Hawks might handle this one [with Daniels], which is, they’re going to have a number, and they may be willing to move, but they’re not going to go over a certain number. And it may come all the way down to the deadline day in October.”
It’s an odd situation, but one that makes some sense.
Why does Dyson Daniels extension number make sense?
The Hawks are in an interesting situation. Building around Trae Young, as talented as he is, isn’t easy. He’s a pretty bad defender, but also one of the best offensive players in the NBA. Atlanta has seemingly found a way to maximize him.
They have put a ton of elite defenders around Young, with Daniels leading the charge as his backcourt partner. Alongside him, they have Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Kristaps Porzingis, Onyeka Onkongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and others.
But Daniels may be the most important piece of the puzzle. Last year, he emerged as one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he got the hardware to prove it. He won the Most Improved Player award and was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
However, for as great as Daniels is, and he truly is a perfect fit in Atlanta, overpaying him would be a disaster. One that the Hawks can’t really afford to make.
In order to build out the best, most competitive roster, maintaining financial flexibility is important. The CBA plays a huge part in team-building in today’s NBA, and by setting a number for Daniels and abiding by it is a great practice to have.
The Hawks understand the opportunity in front of them. With Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and even Darius Garland (for a bit) sidelined, the Eastern Conference is wide open. There has never been a better time to go for it.
Retaining Daniels should be of the utmost importance. They have to keep him around, playing next to Young. But overpaying him would create a disaster.
Finding a middle ground with Daniels where he is happy and the Hawks are about to build their team around the CBA comfortably is crucial.