Al Horford inks five-year contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks
After weeks of speculation, Al Horford finally signed an extension with the Atlanta Hawks on Monday 1 November, preventing the former University of Florida stalwart from becoming a restricted
free agent next summer.
According to reports, the 24-year old centre agreed to sign a five-year extension worth $60 million including performance bonuses, which was the same as the terms agreed upon by the Chicago
Bulls and centre Joakim Noah earlier this month.
Hawks general manager confirmed the reports in an official statement released by the team, and said that they are very ecstatic about keeping another core of their group after re-signing
shooting guard Joe Johnson to a maximum deal worth $124 million during the off-season.
"From the moment he arrived in Atlanta, Al has been a large part of our success," said Sund. "The winning tradition he brought to the franchise as a rookie out of Florida has extended to
three consecutive playoff seasons in a Hawks uniform."
Sund also added that they are looking forward to Horford’s continued development after a breakthrough season last year. The 6ft 10in centre, Horford, who was the third overall pick in the
2007 NBA draft, was named to the Eastern Conference all-stars last season after averaging 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Horford, who is currently averaging 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in their first three games this season, revealed that a deal was in already in place, but he was still ecstatic upon hearing
the news from his agent, Arn Tellem.
"It happened like I've been predicting — down to the wire," Horford said after today's practise. "When we finally kind of agreed on everything, I was super excited."
Horford became the third player from the rookie class of 2007 who got an extension from their respective teams after Noah and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder despite the uncertainty
on next year’s collective bargaining agreement, which affected almost all NBA team’s approach on offering an extension to their players.
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