Hawks running out of time to make seemingly inevitable decision

The clock is ticking and there seems to be very little if any sense of urgency from the Atlanta Hawks.

Monday at 6 pm ET is the deadline to get a contract extension done with fourth-year forward Jalen Johnson, but the latest intel coming out about the situation reads as something that will have to be addressed after the season.

Missing that deadline all but guarantees the Hawks will pay more for Johnson later.

Of course, Johnson would have to agree to a new contract. And coming off a slow start to his career and a breakout campaign that was cut short by injury, patience might be prudent.

“There is still time for negotiations to heat up before Monday's 6 PM ET deadline,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote (subscription required) on October 20. “But one league source told The Stein Line that Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks were not yet trending toward a deal entering the weekend as that Monday buzzer looms for teams and first-round picks from the 2021 NBA Draft to hash out rookie-scale contract extensions.”

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Threads about optimism the Hawks and Johnson would find common ground north of $30 million annually on his next deal. That would be a $150 million pact over five years and second-most on the team behind Trae Young.

He would surpass the four-year, $114 million pact Dejounte Murray, an All-Star, signed in 2023. 

But Fischer has also previously noted that Johnson’s short track record of production is cause for pause from the Hawks’ perspective.

Johnson appeared in 22 games as a rookie, going to former Hawks head coach Nate McMillan and requesting to go down to the G League for playing time. In his second season, Johnson appeared in 70 games and started six of them.

Wrist and ankle injuries undid what would have otherwise been a breakout season.

Johnson was a legitimate contender for Most Improved Player – if not the front-runner – before going down not once but twice with the ankle even after his wrist injury.

He bounced back to play well for the Hawks in the preseason, showcasing his diverse skillset with improved efficiency from beyond the arc which was really a continuation from his early going in 2023-24.

“A separate source told me Johnson has been the Hawks' most impressive player through training camp and the exhibition season, seemingly only adding to Johnson's rise from last season to become the most untouchable player on Atlanta's roster in terms of trades after he averaged 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in a breakout 2023-24,” Stein wrote.

Fischer’s earlier report included Johnson eyeing a maximum extension, worth $224 million.

Johnson could even see more than that if he qualifies for season-long awards. Without a deal in place, other front offices are watching in the (unlikely) event that Johnson becomes available.

“In asking several competing executives about the 2021 draft class, Jalen Johnson's name came up as one they're watching closely,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wrote in August. “The Atlanta Hawks are expected, however, to retain him.”

It seems, then, that the two sides are resigned to letting the season play out as it may.

The expectation should still be that the Hawks get Johnson – who will hit restricted free agency in 2025 without an extension – to sign on the dotted line. Eventually.