4:04 pm: Daniels’ extension is now official, the Hawks announced in a press release.
“We are beyond thrilled to reach a long-term deal with Dyson, and we are excited to watch him continue to grow with our group,” said general manager Onsi Saleh. “This extension reflects our belief in him today and into the future.”
2:16 pm: The Hawks and guard Dyson Daniels have agreed to a four-year, $100MM rookie scale extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). There are no team or player options on the contract, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets.
Daniels spent his first two seasons with New Orleans after being selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft. His career blossomed after he was traded to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray blockbuster prior to last season. Daniels became a fixture in the Hawks’ lineup and established himself as one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league.
Daniels captured the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award and was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. He also made first team All-Defense and racked up 229 steals, the most in a single season by any player since Gary Payton in 1995/96.
Daniels posted averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals in 33.8 minutes per game while making 76 starts. He also shot a career-best 49.3% overall and 34.1% on three-point attempts.
Daniels is the ninth player in his draft class to sign or agree to a rookie scale extension that will begin in 2026/27, joining Christian Braun, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, Nikola Jovic and Shaedon Sharpe.
Like Braun, Daniels will get an average annual value of $25MM on his new deal, though Braun’s new contract with Denver includes a fifth year.
Daniels and Trae Young meshed well in Atlanta’s backcourt but it’s uncertain how long that pairing will last. Young holds a $48.97MM player option on his contract for 2026/27 and could become a free agent next summer. He and the Hawks aren’t expected to reach an extension at this time.
GaTech is top10, Brian Norman is King of the welterweights & we just re-upped Dice for quarters on the dollar. Atl just keeps winning istg.
Wow, that’s a rich contract. What’s Grimes planning to get next year. It’s going to be interesting
Tremendous talent and defensively is the best in the game. Happy for him.
Well, HR had him looking for 5/$150 with Hawks not wanting to go above 5/$115. I like the 4/$100 given he still has some grwoth needed offensively.
Daniels probably fits better on the Hawks than most other NBA teams, as he has guaranteed playing time trying to offset Trae’s defense. He was even better than the article above made him out to be last year, as he also easily led the league in deflections, which don’t take into account personal steals accrued. No telling how many points he added for the Hawks not included in his own stats (though I am certain he got some of his points from finishing off those steals and deflections at the other end).
He is also one of the more entertaining Hawks to watch, which will likely help with marketing. Well done Hawks. Far better than previous extensions like Hunter, Collins, and Red Velvet.
Great contract for both sides, lets see if he keeps improving
Fun team, nice extension
They have really built the best possible scenario around Trae
Low key, Trae might be the most important player in the Eastern Conf this year, zero clue how he will respond to that
Absolute steal in comparison to other contracts in the league talking about easily a top 5 defender in the league for only 25 a year great move by the Hawks