Johnson Agrees to Stay with Hawks
All-star guard Joe Johnson has agreed to a maximum contract to stay with his current team, the Atlanta Hawks. His agent Arn Tellem said Sunday that Johnson made the decision over possible opportunities with Chicago or New York, where he would have been reunited with former coach Mike D’Antoni.
The Hawks agreed to pay nearly $120 million over the next six years, which is $30 million more than any other team could offer under current NBA rules. Money surely made the difference, suggesting that when free agents talk about simply wanting to get a championship, things are generally more complicated.
The Hawks made the second round of the playoffs the last two years, with Johnson being their top player. With four all-star appearances, he has averaged more than 20 points in each of his five years with the franchise.
At this point in the free agency bid, players can agree to deals, but can’t officially sign anything until Thursday, when the league’s salary cap figures are released.
His agent Tellem wrote in an online report: “His priorities are his family, his friends and his game. Joe could have forced a sign-and-trade deal for six years with another team, but he decided that winning in Atlanta would be more meaningful. When the Hawks offered the maximum — six years — he happily reciprocated.”
The only thing doubtful here is whether it was a question of winning in Atlanta that won him over.
Since 2005, Johnson had been the center of a new era for the Hawks after coming from Phoenix. With his addition to the roster the Hawks doubled their winning average from one year to the next, and finally went 53-29 in 2009 before being eliminated by Orlando in Eastern Conference semis.
During that particular series Johnson played poorly, despite maintaining an average of 21.3 points during the regular season. This caused some speculation as to whether he was worth the max amount of money he might have previously warranted.
Last summer Johnson turned down a $60 million extension offer from Atlanta, and was critical of the team’s fans.
Johnson’s decision marks a turn from the majority of big free agents, who have refused to disclose their inner leanings. Amare Stoudemire spent the weekend in New York, seeing the Yankees-Jays game and scheduled to meet with the Knicks today. Allegedly they are to discuss a deal that would pay the forward nearly $100 million over five years, to reunite with D’Antoni. However, the Knicks may be inclined to show reserve, as other big agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have all been reported potentials for the team.
Joe Johnson is an American professional basketball player, currently a member of the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA and a former member of the U.S. national team. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In the summer of 2005, he became a highly touted restricted free agent and expressed a desire to leave the Suns to assume a larger role on the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson grew upset with Phoenix's initial offers to re-sign him feeling they were well below his market value. This rift eventually led to Johnson requesting the Suns not match Atlanta's $70 million offer. On August 19, 2005, a deal was finalized and Johnson was involved in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hawks for Bori Diaw and two future first-round draft picks.
In his first season as a Hawk, Johnson led the Atlanta Hawks in several categories: points (20.2 per game), assists (6.5), and steals (1.26), three-point field goals made (128), and minutes (40.7). He was only one of five players in the league to average at least 20 points and six assists in the 2005-06 season. Johnson was the only Hawk to play in all 82 games and extended his current league-leading consecutive games played streak to 346 as of November 25, 2006.
On March 5, 2006, he was one of 23 NBA players named to the 2006-08 U.S. men's senior national team.
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