The Atlanta Hawks reconstructed their roster this offseason, finding the perfect players to pair with Trae Young, with Kristaps Porziņġis as the headliner. Porziņġis is eligible to sign an extension with the Hawks, but one hasn't happened yet. On Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that there is "mutual interest" between the two sides on an extension, but that "both sides are comfortable seeing how the season progresses" first.
Atlanta has until June 30 to decide to extend Porziņġis, so the Hawks don't have to worry about the Oct. 20 deadline. A deal could come now, during the season, or after the season.
Based on what Windhorst reported, as well as what others have said, a deal won't happen before the season. As excited as the Hawks are about Porziņġis and what he brings to the table, there is a concern that they can't ignore — his health.
Hawks and Porziņġis are in no rush in extension talks
Porziņġis, who turned 30 over the summer, was limited to 42 games last season with the Celtics due to a mystery illness. The season before, he played 57 games. In the 2022-23 season, his lone full season in Washington, he hit the 65-game mark. It was only the third time in KP's career that he hit the 60-game mark. The other two seasons were his first two in the league.
You can understand why Atlanta wants to wait to see how Porziņġis does with the team before it offers an extension, even though he played well for Latvia this summer at EuroBasket. Even if KP does play in 60+ games this season and helps the Hawks make their desired deep playoff run, there would still be risks with an extension, as a relatively healthy season won't erase Porziņġis' injury history. At least Atlanta could justify an extension then.
Porziņġis' extension isn't the only one the Hawks have to worry about, as Dyson Daniels is eligible to sign one before Monday's deadline. That's a deal that should happen by then. Young is also extension-eligible, too. Windhorst reported that Young would "prefer not to pick up" his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season because he wants a "lucrative new deal."
This is a pivotal season for the Hawks in more ways than one. Young and Porziņġis, their two top players, will draw even more attention because of their contracts. It's a distraction that the Hawks will have to get used to, and while that's typically something teams want to avoid, Atlanta has good reason to hold off.