The Atlanta Hawks needed to lock up Dyson Daniels for the long run. And they did.
Just ahead of the 2025-26 regular season, Atlanta inked their defensive ace to a long-term extension, signing a four-year, $100 million deal with the franchise.
After a breakout campaign that earned him Most Improved Player honors, this decision came as a no-brainer. It was also made easier to achieve by Atlanta's flexibility. The only player they had rostered who was making max-level money was Trae Young, who has since been shipped off.
Other teams - especially those aiming for contention - don't have that luxury. The Oklahoma City Thunder could be one of those teams, as their three main core pieces are locked up on max deals.
Cason Wallace is due for an extension - will he get what he's worth in OKC?
Other teams have defensive aces they would be devastated to lose in free agency.
After locking up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, inking Wallace to a long-term extension becomes much more difficult. They attempted to make it easier by parting ways with Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins this summer, but the impending Wallace decision remains.
According to a recent intel drop from Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, "talks between Wallace's camp and the Thunder, meanwhile, have begun in the $25 million range in annual average value," which were inspired by Atlanta's Dyson Daniels.
Daniels set the bar with his recent extension.
A compromise doesn't have to be made now between Wallace and the Thunder, but even though he'll hit restricted free agency next summer, there's always a chance he gets an unbelievable deal elsewhere, and OKC won't be able to match.
While Wallace is the first case of a player using Daniels' contract as a baseline for what their's should be, he certainly won't be the last.
Daniels' struggles from outside gives players even more incentive to want a higher payday
Now, to be clear, Daniels remains one of Atlanta's most impactful weapons.
Despite his struggles from beyond the arc, he's proven he can impact the game in nearly every other category, providing Atlanta with a key advantage every night.
Those around the league, though, will see his percentages, giving camps ammunition to point towards them in contract negotiations.
A quality defender, who can also knock it down with high efficiency, would argue they deserve more than Daniels. This is a likely argument from Wallace's camp.
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