Atlanta Hawks Make Contract Extension With Dyson Daniels Official

“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 Hawks General Manager Onsi Saleh. “This extension reflects our belief in him today and into the future.”

Ascending talent?

While just one season as the starter, Daniels showed last season that he has a chance to become one of the top two-way players in the NBA.

Daniels was the:

• 2025 Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, All-Defensive First Team member, two-time Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month
• Became just the third player since 1973-74 to own improvements of +8.0 points per game, +2.0 rebounds per game, +1.5 assists per game, and +1.5 steals per game from one season to the next (min. 50 games played)
• Owned a league-best 3.01 steals per game, the first player to average over 3.0 steals per game since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91
• Swiped 229 total steals, the most in a single season in franchise history and the most by any player in a single season in the NBA since Gary Payton in 1995-96 (231)
• Tallied 98 more steals than the next closest player (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 131), marking the largest gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in NBA history
• Recorded a league-high 443 total deflections, the most deflections by any player since the NBA began tracking deflections
• Netted 20+ points 12 times in his career, all during the 2024-25 season

Daniels appeared in 76 games (all starts) in his first season with the Hawks, averaging career highs of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.01 steals, 0.72 blocks, .493 FG%, and .340 3FG%, in a career-best 33.8 minutes per game. He became just the fifth player since 1973-74 to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals in a single season, joining Magic Johnson (1980-81), Michael Jordan (1987-88), Michael Ray Richardson (2x), and Alvin Robertson (4x).

The Bendigo, Australia, native became the first player in the NBA to tally 200+ steals (229) and 50+ blocks (55) in a single season since Scottie Pippen in 1994-95, and just the seventh player in the NBA to do so since 1973-74, joining Hall-of-Famers Clyde Drexler (3x), Michael Jordan (6x), Hakeem Olajuwon, and Pippen (3x), as well as Ron Harper (1986-87) and Alvin Robertson (1987-88). The 22-year-old owned a league-best 284 total stocks this past season (steals + blocks), becoming the first guard to lead the league in total stocks since Michael Jordan in 1987-88, a season in which Jordan was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Offensively, Daniels scored 10-or-more points in 60 of his 76 games played, the most such games in a single season in his career (previously 13, 2023-24), and 20-or-more points in 12 outings. Prior to the 2024-25 season, Daniels’ career high for points in a single game was 17 (Nov. 12, 2023, vs. Dallas). He recorded nine of his 10 career double-doubles this past season, with five double-doubles coming after the All-Star break.

Entering his fourth NBA season, and second in Atlanta, the 6-7 guard has appeared in 196 games (103 starts), averaging 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 25.4 minutes (.472 FG%, .327 3FG%). Daniels was acquired by the Hawks from the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6, 2024.

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