The Atlanta Hawks benefited from the Celtics shedding salary this summer, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and a 2026 second-round pick as part of a three-team trade. They gave up Georges Niang, Terance Mann, the No. 22 pick in the 2025 draft, and a second-round pick for Porzingis.
Porzingis is entering the final season of the two-year, $60 million extension he signed with Boston last offseason. Atlanta didn't trade for Porzingis, thinking that he'd be a one-year rental, but he's currently set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Porzingis can be extended midseason, so the Hawks don't have to decide about his future before the season starts without seeing him play in a game. The biggest issue with Porzingis is his health. He's coming off a season in which he played 42 games, missing significant time due to a mystery illness.
Even with KP's injury history being a red flag, he still has the leverage over the Hawks. He's healthy entering the new season, and unless that changes, Atlanta will want to extend him, rather than allowing him to walk for nothing in free agency.
Kristaps Porzingis is entering the final season of his current contract
There has been a lot of talk this summer about Porzingis being the perfect fit alongside Trae Young, and rightfully so. The star point guard (who is also eligible for an extension) hasn't played with a big man like Porzingis before. Young has a new pick-and-roll partner who can also help space the floor. There will be a learning curve defensively, but Quin Snyder can figure that out.
The first few months of the season will be telling as to which direction the Hawks will take with their extension-eligible players. Porzingis will be eligible to sign for more money in early January (four-year, $192.7 million), but it's hard to envision Atlanta giving him that kind of contract. He could push to sign a short-term deal with a higher salary in hopes of proving himself.
Porzingis turned 30 over the offseason, so there wouldn't be as much risk signing him to a deal that locks him in Atlanta for a couple of years. Regardless, there will be a certain amount of risk present in extending him because of his injury history, but the Hawks essentially jumped over that hurdle when they traded for him. They understand the risks, but they're all-in on gunning for a title.
If KP wants more than Atlanta is willing to give him, he has the upper hand, as long as he stays healthy.