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Apr 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV (14) in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Analyst Gives Updated Projection For Dyson Daniels Upcoming Contract Extension With Atlanta

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated May 8, 2025 6:56 PM ET

It is hard to find a player who helped himself more this season than Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. Daniels was acquired by the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade last offseason and all Daniels did was win the NBA's most improved player award and finish as a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year, while also being a heavy favorite to be on the All-Defensive teams that will come out. Daniels is up for his rookie-scale extension this offseason and with the season he just had, Daniels has likely earned himself a big extension.

What exactly will the extension look like though? Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus gave a recent projection:

"Dyson Daniels is fresh off winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award, and he came in second for Defensive Player of the Year. The 22-year-old guard spiked precisely at the right time.

The Hawks are a middling team, and they recently fired general manager Landry Fields and promoted Onsi Saleh to replace him. How to proceed with Daniels is one of Saleh's first key decisions unless the Hawks hire a president of basketball operations ahead of free agency.

Daniels isn't a great scorer, but he is a defensive menace. If the Hawks don't offer him enough this offseason, he'll explore restricted free agency in 2026 and could be a real threat to receive a hefty offer sheet.

The Hawks should try to find a reasonable compromise with him this summer."

Current averages (76 games, 76 starts): 33.8 minutes, 14.1 points, 3.0 steals, 34.0 percent from three

Closest comp: Jalen Johnson (five years, $150 million)

Expectation: $94 million over four seasons

If I had to guess, Daniels is going to make more than $94 million over four years. If you are looking for a good comp as far as contract and player type, the extension the Magic gave Jalen Suggs is one to look at. Orlando gave Suggs a five-year, $150.5 million dollar before the start of this season and while I don't think Daniels will get that, I think it could be slightly lower than that.

When Dyson Daniels first arrived in Atlanta as part of the return for Dejounte Murray, the move was widely moved as an interesting gamble on a talented defender with serious offensive limitations. After just ten months since the deal was completed in early July, Daniels looks like the best player involved in the transaction.

Daniels isn't just a good defender - he's one of the best ball hawks ever. In the 2024-25 regular season, he became the first player in the 21st century to record 225+ steals after finishing with 229. He also became the first player in the 21st century to average 3.0 steals per game, the 11th best mark in NBA history. Daniels legitimately swung games for the Hawks this season with his ability to force steals.

Daniels owned 98 more steals than the next closest player (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 131). His 98-steal gap between himself and Gilgeous-Alexander is the same gap as Gilgeous-Alexander (2nd) and the nine players tied for the 265th-most steals in the league this season. His 98-steal lead is the largest between No. 1 and No. 2 in NBA history, per Elias Sports. Entering this season, the largest gap between No. 1 and No. 2 was Alvin Robertson (301 steals) over Maurice Cheeks (207 steals) for a difference of 94 steals in 1985-86. Robertson was named Defensive Player of the Year that season.

The list of accomplishments for Daniels this year are staggering:

He's the first player since Rajon Rondo (2010-11) to have a steal/foul ratio of 1.2-or-higher (min. 150 steals).

He led Atlanta to a 10-spot defensive rating improvement from 2023-24 to 2024-25 (118.4 drtg to 114.8 drtg).

Owns the most 4+ steal games (27) in the NBA since 1993-94 (Nate McMillan) and the most 5+ steal games (14) since 2010-11 (Chris Paul).

Tallied 443 total deflections, the most in a single season since the league began tracking the stat.

Recovered 79 loose balls during the 2024-25 campaign, the second-most by any player in the NBA.

Inaugural Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month and one of only two players to be named a two-time Defensive Player of the Month (October/November and March).

As mentioned above, he was critical for getting Atlanta wins when they needed it most:

His attitude on the defensive end was infectious for the Hawks this season and he got everyone to raise their level of play. What should have the Hawks organization and fans excited is the fact that this was only his third season in the NBA and his first one as a starter. He should be a key member of the Hawks team going forward and if this year is any indication, he is going to be one of the premier defenders in the NBA and be in contention for more awards.

Not only was Daniels mentioned for DPOY, he also saw tremendous growth on the offensive end and was one of the most improved players. His offensive improvements helped him stay on the court. As a full time starter for the Hawks, Daniels averaged career highs in points per game (14.1), rebounds per game (5.9), assists per game (4.4), steals per game (3.01), blocks per game (0.72), field goal percentage (.493%) and three-point percentage (.340%). He saw increases from 2023-24 to 2024-25: +8.3 PPG, +2.0 RPG, +1.7 APG, + 1.62 SPG, +0.31 BPG, +.046 FG%, +.029 3FG%. He is the third player since at least 1973-74 to own increases of +8.0 PPG, +2.0 RPG, +1.5 APG and 1.5 SPG from one season to the next, per Elias Sports (min. 50 games played). Daniels has scored 20+ points 12 times in his career (all this season) and 10+ points 78 times in his career (60 this season). Furthermore, he had 13 games with 10+ points and 5+ steals this season, the most since 1996-97 (Mookie Blaylock: 13).

This was a historic season in more ways than one for Daniels and he will be a core member of the Hawks for years to come.