The Atlanta Hawks took things right up until the final buzzer regarding rookie scale extension talks with Onyeka Okongwu. But, they were able to get a deal finalized before the 6 p.m. ET deadline with a few minutes to spare.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Okongwu and the Hawks agreed to a four-year, $62 million deal. His agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Basketball shared the news as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is under contract for five seasons, including this one.
The USC product has seen his role in Atlanta expand each season he has been in the NBA. Last season, he played in 80 games, making 18 starts, averaging 9.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.7 steals in only 23.1 minutes per game.
One area that he has shown excellent development in is his free throw shooting. He made 78.1 percent from the charity stripe last season, improving from 63.2 percent as a rookie and 72.7 percent as a sophomore. That could translate to success in the offense, opening things up further for the Hawks.
With Okongwu now under contract for the foreseeable future, expect trade talks with Clint Capela to heat up. Capela is under contract through 2025, making nearly $43 million in the next two seasons. It would be hard to imagine Atlanta paying two players who play the same position, that can’t share the floor that much money combined.
Okongwu was the 14th and final player to sign a rookie scale extension from the 2020 NBA Draft class. His teammate, Saddiq Bey, was also eligible for an extension after the Hawks acquired him in a four-team trade from the Detroit Pistons last season.
But, no deal was reached with him as he will become a restricted free agent in 2024. He will be joined there by Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks, Patrick Williams of the Chicago Bulls, Obi Toppin of the Indiana Pacers, and Precious Achiuwa of the Toronto Raptors.
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