Last year, Dyson Daniels had a breakout season that exceeded even the highest expectations set for him. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 steals, and 3.0 steals per game last season, doubling his point total in route to winning the Most Improved Player award and second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
This development was key for the Atlanta Hawks, as Daniels was able to replace Dejounte Murray's two-way production while being a better fit next to Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. There is just one problem: it's time to pay Daniels.
The Hawks theoretically could leave Daniels without a contract extension until the end of the season. Daniels would enter restricted free agency next offseason, so the Hawks could match any offer he receives. However, they risk ruining the perfect team they assembled by delaying this decision. Daniels deserves a contract in the $30 million range, and there will be teams willing to offer him that without a moment of thought.
The Hawks already have a potentially problematic extension negotiation to handle with Young. While Atlanta has Daniels' restricted free agent rights, they cannot afford the negative impact of two tense contract negotiations while simultaneously being competitive with the newly assembled roster.
Daniels will get paid soon because of the Hawks busy offseason
Had the Hawks had a normal offseason, there is a world where Dyson enters restricted free agency without an extension. While he was an incredible player last season, it was also the first season he was a productive player who contributed to winning basketball.
It is hard to blame Daniels for not performing on the cursed New Orleans Pelicans. Still, through three seasons of his career, only one has suggested he deserves a $100+ million deal. In the case of a young player who blossoms in their third season, teams tend to delay extending the player, instead making the player prove they are not a one-hit wonder.
This arrangement would make sense for any other team, but the Hawks pushed their chips in to win this season. Only four members of their 8-man playoff rotation are under contract for next season. While you should expect Daniels and Young to re-sign, Luke Kennard and Kristaps Porzingis will also be free agents next season.
Both Porzingis and Kennard are currently slightly overpaid. Porzingis plays at a level that justifies his current paycheck, but his inability to remain healthy forced the Celtics to dump his contract this offseason. Kennard's $11 million salary raised eyebrows across the league when it was signed, with analysts begging the question: Who else was offering Kennard this much money?
Their status as overpaid players does not pose an immediate threat to Atlanta, but it could make it difficult to retain these players on sensible deals. If other teams want to continue to overpay these players, the Hawks could find themselves losing a key player or in financial hot water.
This means that Atlanta's status as a team competing for real playoff success is only certain for one season. While the team could run it back next season, they also could potentially lose half of their starting core.
With this short championship timeline and Daniels' proven talent, it makes no sense to let his contract expire without an extension, even if he hasn't proven his value over multiple seasons. He is clearly one of the Hawks' most important players at just 22 years old. Why risk the locker room impact of distracting the team with two major contract extension negotiations?