Hawks Give Joe Johnson Maximum Offer
In a report first released by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks have decided to give Joe Johnson the maximum deal for an unrestricted free agent. The deal is worth six-years for $119M. Johnson, who has said for the past few weeks prefers to stay in Atlanta, will sign the contract.
The contract was delivered to Johnson's home in Los Angeles by Hawks general manager Rick Sund. He also has meetings scheduled with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and the Miami Heat. The Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks were interested in sign-and-trade scenarios as well.
If Johnson ultimately signs the offer from the Hawks, he would re-join a team that has consistently improved over the last six seasons under former head coach Mike Woodson.
But after an unexpected seven-game series with the Milwaukee Bucks, and one of the most lopsided sweeps in NBA history in a series loss to the Orlando Magic, Woodson was fired, and hired by a favorite of the players, Larry Drew.
Johnson was heavily criticized for disappearing in the Magic series, as he only averaged 12.8 PPG in that series, and got into it with fans after the loss to the Magic in Game 3, it was widely speculated that Johnson's days in Atlanta were over.
However, after the sting and embarrassment of the Orlando series has passed, and it is apparent the two sides are on the page. Despite the offer and Johnson's desire to stay in Atlanta, do not be surprised if the other teams (especially the New York Knicks) make a full court press for Johnson's services.
Mike D'Antoni did coach Johnson in his days in Phoenix with the Suns, and was the first GM to give Johnson a big payday, and he is looking to bring Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire to New York to make a 'Run & 'Gun style in the Big Apple.
While many expect Johnson will accept the max deal with Atlanta, a lot of time is still left for his options to be considered. Stay tuned.
(Photo courtesy of Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
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