NBA Expansion Draft: 3 Hawks players to protect, 2 to make available

Hawks must protect Jalen Johnson, which means…

The Hawks have to sort out Johnson’s contract situation. He is in the final year of his rookie deal and will be a restricted free agent in 2025, assuming the Hawks extend him a qualifying offer.

There has been little concern about a deal not getting done despite estimates ranging from $125 million to $150 million over four years. Johnson was a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year in 2023-24 before injuries set in.

Extending – or re-signing, if it comes to that – Johnson should be a no-brainer. 

So should protecting him from an expansion draft after that. He has delivered on his pre-draft potential as a dynamic playmaking forward. 

More importantly, he has disproven concerns about his work ethic.

That is a developmental success for the Hawks and something organizations should build around and promote when wooing star players. If Risacher and Johnson are not the stars, they are appealing running mates.

The No. 20 overall pick in 2021, Johnson’s biggest hurdle is durability. If he can stay on the floor, there is no reason to believe he won’t be worth the money he is expected to receive.

He was playing like the team’s second-best player before injuries hit.

And his previous growth shows what he an do when not a planned part of the starting lineup. He is a focal point of the offense this season, and the Hawks have to treat him as such both in the offense and financially.