[sammybuckeye13Participant]

5 yrs/$60 million. The article’s on ESPN, having trouble posting.

On deadline day for contract extensions for former 2007 first-round picks, Al Horford and theAtlanta Hawks have reached an agreement on a new deal.

 

The All-Star center and the Hawks have reached terms on a five-year extension worth $60 million plus performance bonuses, mirroring the extension Joakim Noah signed with Chicago earlier this month.

The team announced the deal Monday, beating a deadline that prevented one of their stalwart players from becoming a restricted free agent next summer. Horford confirmed the terms in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

 

Ford: Horford deal bad for Josh Smith?

The Hawks love what Al Horford brings to their team, but his new deal could signal the end of Josh Smith’s tenure with Atlanta, writes Chad Ford. Blog

 

"I wanted to get it done for security and just to focus on the team this year," Horford wrote while en route to Cleveland, where the Hawks (3-0) face the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to report the agreement Monday afternoon. The incentives, according to one source, can earn Horford an extra $8 million over the life of the contract if he hits them.

Horford finished second in the NBA rookie of the year voting to Kevin Durant. Last season, the Atlanta player averaged career highs in points (14.2) and rebounds (9.9) while becoming the first Hawks draft pick to make the All-Star Game since Kevin Willis in 1992. He finished eighth in the shooting percentage (.551) and also was among the top 10 in rebounding.

"From the moment he arrived in Atlanta, Al has been a large part of our success," general manager Rick Sund said in a statement. "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. In addition, he was deservedly recognized as an All-Star last year, and we certainly look forward to his continued development as we move forward."

The new contract will take effect starting next season. The Hawks were eager to lock up another member of its core group. The team re-signed Joe Johnson over the summer to a maximum $124 million deal.

 

Horford

 

The signing of Horford turns the attention to guard Jamal Crawford, winner of last year’s sixth man of the year award. He is eligible for free agency after the season.

With Monday’s 11:59 p.m. ET deadline approaching, Horford becomes just the fourth player from the Class of 2007 to land an extension, joining Noah, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, who received a five-year max extension worth $85 million in July, and Memphis’ Mike Conley, who reached a five-year, $45 million extension on Monday night, according to sources. The deadline for extensions for 2007 first-rounders comes a day later than usual — pushed to Monday because Halloween fell on a Sunday this year as opposed to a business day — but it appears that a new record low for extensions is unavoidable unless an unexpected flurry of deals materialize in the next few hours.

The six first-rounders from the 2006 NBA draft who scored contract extensions before the Halloween deadline last October tied the previous low in the modern rookie scale era. But there’s no mystery why extensions have been even harder to come by this fall.

Such extensions used to be a formality in many cases, especially for lottery picks. But teams are clearly reluctant to hand out deals without knowing more specifics about the NBA’s new financial landscape to be hatched in the next collective bargaining agreement. The lukewarm overall regard for many of the players taken in the Durant Draft is another deterrent.

 

 

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Good deal.  Now if only they hadn’t overpaid Joe Johnson . . .

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Good deal.  Now if only they hadn’t overpaid Joe Johnson . . .

[NYK2010Participant]

Hawks are screwed cap wise after giving JJ so much money in the offseason.  I definately wouldn’t extend Crawford or sign him in the offseason even unless he took a huge pay cut.  If they do they’ll be close to having a payroll like the Lakers and obviously not as good.

[NYK2010Participant]

Hawks are screwed cap wise after giving JJ so much money in the offseason.  I definately wouldn’t extend Crawford or sign him in the offseason even unless he took a huge pay cut.  If they do they’ll be close to having a payroll like the Lakers and obviously not as good.

[ghettosermonParticipant]

Why would this mean the end of Josh Smith’s tenure in Atlanta? He only has 3 years left on his contract anyways. He’ll expire before the Hawks have anything near financial flexibility after these two contracts. Maybe they don’t re-sign Josh in 3 years but I don’t see why this signing would affect his future with the Hawks. If anything even though Jordan seems like a suitable replacement it wouldn’t shock me to see them extend Jamal Crawford at the end of the year. They are so deep in it financially they might as well keep their assets. Actually it kind of reminds me of the Wizards of a few years back, the Hawks will make the playoffs every year, but will never seriously contend for the title. I guess though with how bad the Hawks had been pre JJ era, just being good every year is good enough. I will say though that this trio is much better than the Arenas/Butler/Jamison trio, and much less injury prone. Who knows If Teague or Pape Sy develops and if they get a steal for the MLE they could be a serious contender down the line. Just having Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford makes you a playoff team every year.

[ghettosermonParticipant]

Why would this mean the end of Josh Smith’s tenure in Atlanta? He only has 3 years left on his contract anyways. He’ll expire before the Hawks have anything near financial flexibility after these two contracts. Maybe they don’t re-sign Josh in 3 years but I don’t see why this signing would affect his future with the Hawks. If anything even though Jordan seems like a suitable replacement it wouldn’t shock me to see them extend Jamal Crawford at the end of the year. They are so deep in it financially they might as well keep their assets. Actually it kind of reminds me of the Wizards of a few years back, the Hawks will make the playoffs every year, but will never seriously contend for the title. I guess though with how bad the Hawks had been pre JJ era, just being good every year is good enough. I will say though that this trio is much better than the Arenas/Butler/Jamison trio, and much less injury prone. Who knows If Teague or Pape Sy develops and if they get a steal for the MLE they could be a serious contender down the line. Just having Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford makes you a playoff team every year.

[Author]

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