5:34pm: Johnson’s extension, which just narrowly beat the 5:00 pm Central time deadline, is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
5:07pm: The Hawks have agreed to sign forward Jalen Johnson to a five-year rookie scale extension worth $150MM, agent Rich Paul tells NBA reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Johnson, who will turn 23 in December, has steadily gained a bigger foothold in the Hawks’ rotation since seeing limited action in 22 games as a rookie in 2021/22. He broke out in a major way in his third NBA season, averaging 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.7 minutes per game while posting a shooting line of .511/.355/.728 in 56 outings (52 starts).
Injuries prevented Johnson from playing a full season in 2023/24, but he’s healthy this fall and appears poised to take another step forward for a retooling Hawks team that traded away one of its primary offensive options (Dejounte Murray) over the summer. Johnson has been one of the betting favorites for the Most Improved Player award ahead of the season.
With Johnson poised to take on a more significant role in year four, it made sense for the Hawks to move now to secure him to a long-term contract, since he could further increase his value with a big season in ’24/25.
Johnson’s $30MM-per-year extension puts him right in line with the five-year, $150.5MM deal that Jalen Suggs completed with the Magic and is the seventh-biggest rookie scale extension signed this offseason, behind Suggs, Alperen Sengun, and the four players who got maximum-salary commitments (Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner).
Johnson and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher project to be long-term cornerstones in Atlanta, while young center Onyeka Okongwu is also under contract for the next four seasons. Atlanta’s performance in 2024/25 may go a long way toward determining whether three-time All-Star Trae Young is also considered a part of that future core beyond his current contract, which has two guaranteed years remaining.