2 best players Hawks must re-sign in 2024 NBA free agency

Atlanta does not *have* to extend Jalen Johnson any time soon. He still has one more season left on his rookie deal and will be a restricted free agent after that. The Hawks have the inside track on retaining him and his services for years on end.

But Johnson was one of the league’s biggest breakouts this season and the Hawks should reward him for it. His numbers skyrocketed this season on both a per-game and per-36-minute basis. In 2022-23, he averaged 13.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per-36 minutes while shooting 49.1% from the field. This 2023-24 season, he bumped his numbers up to 17.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks on a 36-minute basis. He also shot 51.1% from the field. Not only did Johnson’s numbers improve, but he did so while playing more minutes and primarily against other starting units instead of bench and garbage time portions a year ago.

Many envisioned Johnson to carve out an Aaron Gordon-type of role when he was coming out of Duke a couple of seasons ago. He made good on that and then some this year.

Jalen Johnson will be eligible for an extension this summer. The Hawks would be prudent to get that done now if possible. Johnson showcased All-Star potential offensively and a ton of versatility defensively. He looks like a building block for Atlanta going forward.

Saddiq Bey

Saddiq Bey is a more interesting case for the Hawks. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning that the Hawks can match any offer sheet he signs with another team if that happens. But there are a couple of variables that could impact the number Bey gets. For one, he tore his ACL in a March 10th game against the New Orleans Pelicans. His availability for next season will surely be impacted as a result.

But, as mentioned earlier, the Hawks also have a lot of money invested already. Their payroll next season will be $163 million, $22 million over the projected salary cap. That doesn’t include Bey. Atlanta could re-sign Bey and look to ship Clint Capela to duck the luxury tax after Onyeka Okongwu took a step forward this year.

But paying the tax should be out of the question for a team that failed to make the playoffs this year. That could impact their quest to re-sign Bey if he asks for too much money. But, the Hawks have the advantage regarding bringing him back should they choose to. Odds are that they will find a way to keep him around and continue forward with their solid young wing combo of him and Johnson.