Atlanta Hawks: All-in with max offer for Joe Johnson
When the Hawks meet with Joe Johnson in Los Angeles soon after the start of the free-agency negotiating period at 12:01 Thursday they are prepared to offer him a six-year contract for the maximum amount allowed, according to people with knowledge of their plans.
The exact amount of maximum contracts won’t be determined until a league audit is completed over the next week, but it’s expected to total about $119 million for a player with Johnson’s experience. The other teams making pitches to Joe can only offer him five years at about $92 million. I still believe that a gap of up to $27 million or so will be too much for Joe to turn down regardless of what other teams have to say about teaming up with LeBron or Bosh (or both), earning more in endorsements, or anything else not having to do with $27 million.
As a Bird-rights free agent, Johnson is eligible to receive from the Hawks a six-year contract starting at about $15.8 million with maximum raises of 10.5 percent in each year (the raises are based on the first-year salary and don’t compound). Keeping in mind that the numbers are not finalized, the year-by-year breakdown of the contract would look something like this: $15.8 million in 2010-11, $17.5 million in 2011-12, $19.4 million in 2012-13, $20.8 million in 2013-14, $22.4 million in 2014-15 and $24.1 million 2015-16. Joe would be 34-years old during the final season of the deal.
Before you ask, I’m wearing my beat writer’s beanie and keeping my opinion on this move to myself. Bret LaGree at Hoopinion . THHB at Peachtree Hoops and atl_hawk_luv at Hawks Str8Talk all offer reasonable takes on why they don’t like a max deal for J.J.
In analyzing this for yourself, keep in mind that the Hawks wouldn’t have the cap flexibility to find a comparable replacement for Joe in free agency. So if you want him gone, it means accepting that the Hawks probably wouldn’t be as good without him in the short term (LaGree and atl_hawk_luv explained why they think that’s OK). Also remember that if Joe accepts the deal and continues to produce at his current level for a couple years he could be a very tradeable asset in the future; his contract wouldn’t necessarily become an albatross.
MC
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672 comments Add your comment
ddd-house
June 30th, 2010
9:04 pm
Some of you are NUTS. Why would you trade Josh or big Al! they are the best defensive player on the team. Josh was 2nd or 3rd in blocks and he avg 1.8 stl a game and over 9rb. why would Denver trade a player that show up for big game for a player that don’t even try to show up! I love joe, but i just don’t think he is a max player, we might lose more players if we lock him up for the max. They should let him go and we can get Rudy Gay in here who is a better all around player than Joe.
Mr. Riley
June 30th, 2010
9:04 pm
Man this franchise is nuts!!….six more years of subpar play and excuses….yeah, way to go ASG…this crap sucks balls…
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:06 pm
@ ANTONIO. YOU ARE A RATIONALE THINKER. THESE GUYS ON HERE ARE NOT VERY INTELLIGENT OR JUST REAL ATLANTA FANS(UNINFORMED AND REALLY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE HAWKS!!) ****** WHEN THIS CONTRACT IS UP, BARRING INJURY JOE WILL BE 34 YEARS OLD!! RAY ALLEN IS 34, AND HE IS STILL BEING COVETED AS A PREMIER GUARD AND JOE OVERALL IS MUCH BETTER THAN RAY ALLEN. SO PLEASE PEOPLE STOP WITH THE MONEY SITUATION. U CAN’T SET A FRANCHISE BACK IF YOUR A HIGH SEED IN THE PLAYOFFS EVERY YEAR! WE ARE STILL GETTING BETTER, WE HAVE NOT TOUCHED OUR CEILING YET!! JOE PROBABLY HAS WHICH IS A GREAT CEILING TO BE AT, BUT OUR CORE HASN’T! WE STILL CAN MAKE TRADES TO BETTER OUR TEAMS!! FORGET HIM DISSING THE FANS, HE HARDLY EVER SAYS ANYTHING AND IS MODEL CITIZEN. HE’S HASN’T RAPED ANYONE, BROUGHT ANY PROBLEMS TO THIS ORGANIZATION, ALL HE HAS DONE IS MAKE US A WINNER!! SO ALL U FAKE ATLANTA HAWKS FANS, PLEASE KILL YO SELF!!!! SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!! LOL!
darrell starks
June 30th, 2010
9:06 pm
Joe is not a superstar but if the hawks make another move and bring in batman then im all for the max contract, if not then its a waste of money.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
ryan
June 30th, 2010
9:07 pm
When Joe signs with the Hawks then i see us making a trade with Josh Smith or Marvin Williams either for a center or a point guard .
JeJe
June 30th, 2010
9:08 pm
DO NOT GIVE THIS CLOWN A MAX CONTRACT. SIGN SALMONS FOR THE MLE. HE AND J-CRAW SCORE BASKETS MUUUUUUUCH EASIER THAN OUR “ALL STAR” JOE JOHNSON WHO CAN’T EVEN SCORE AT A FREAKING ALL STAR GAME.
HE EMBARRASSED OUR CITY BY NOT SCORING AT THE AS GAME LAST YEAR
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:08 pm
@ MR. RILEY- SUBPAR PLAY- 53 WINS, 2ND ROUND OF PLAYOFFS,OKAY? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING BRUH?
darrell starks
June 30th, 2010
9:09 pm
The hawks need a superstar and horford or josh is the trading chip, you can’t continue 2 keep both or years will go by with early exit of the playoffs.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
doc
June 30th, 2010
9:09 pm
big dave, glad you were able to make something out of it with the drops in there. i would clean it up but i laugh at others when they make corrections like it is really necessary on a blog. it does help in the MC head count for a hit, so cool.
Kraig
June 30th, 2010
9:10 pm
If we indeed sign Joe, anybody sign a Marvin and Bibby package for a SF or Center happening?
drmaryb
June 30th, 2010
9:11 pm
Tiger Woods
Reaches Divorce Settlement of 750 MILLION
Elin moves to Sweden WITH the Kids and shared custody
Stipulation that Rachel Yuchatel-sp Not allowed near the kids & all them other hoes neither
And you say Joe is NOT worth what he is earning and working for?
How many Golf Tournaments has Elin WON!
Tiger should have married a Sister, she would have been happy with ’bout 350 Million! LOL!
It’s cheaper to keep your pants off the ground!
If that is half? He is worth 1.5 Billion – Dang! Unless the 750M includes child support!
WOW!
bigdave
June 30th, 2010
9:12 pm
lol doc exactly..
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:12 pm
IN BASKETBALL U HAVE TO OVERPAY TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE FINAL FOUR TEAMS IN THE NBA WERE LUXARY TAX TEAMS. WAKE UP. JOE IS NOT A MAX PLAYER, BUT HE IS THE BEST WE ARE GONNA GET. LIVE WITH IT AND MOVE ON. IT’S A DONE DEAL COME JULY 8TH! I’M EXCITED ABOUT HIM RETURNING IF THIS IS TRUE!!
Ramon
June 30th, 2010
9:15 pm
All of these people saying don’t sign Joe are forgetting one piece of information that is huge in the NBA: RESPECT! Joe was willing to come play for this team when no one else wanted to sign here at all. From Kenyon Martin, Dampier, Ray Allen, and many others, many players came here and only used the Hawks as a bargain tool to drive their prices up to the team they really wanted to go. Joe came in, and lead the team to the playoffs, and to front story on ESPN many nights. You don’t turn your back on a player like that who took a chance on your franchise. The Hawks will be better next season than they were last season. I think its a great deal. 20/6/5 are great numbers, and only a few players in the league are producing those numbers.
Section 303
June 30th, 2010
9:15 pm
bigdave, that’s not a good enough excuse for Joe’s comments. My problem, besides the fact that he is a f’ing moron for saying what he said, is that he never apologized. He never did. So, I firmly stand by my stance. The guy can go f**k himself.
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:18 pm
@ RAMON. VALID POINT! JOE COULD OF WENT TO CLEVELAND AND THEY WON A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH LEBRON. BUT HE CAME TO ATLANTA WHEN WE WERE PITIFUL AND FANS COMPLAIN ABOUT A COMMENT “HE COULD CARE LESS WHAT THE FANS THINK!” I’M STARTING TO SEE HIS RATIONAL WITH HOW STOOPID THESE FANS ON THIS BLOG SOUND!!
ddd-house
June 30th, 2010
9:20 pm
ClassicHawks, Joe is a good player; but he is not MAX player. in a playoff game, on the road, would you want joe or ray?
Think about ClassicHawks
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:23 pm
@ DDD! HE IS NOT A MAX GUY. BUT HE IS OUR MAX GUY BECAUSE HE IS AN ASSET TO OUR TEAM. HE IS NOT A LIABILTY UNTIL AFTER HIS 4TH YEAR. BY THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU GOT WITH JOSH AND TEAGUE AND AL. BOSTON WOULD DEFINITLY TAKE JOE OVER RAY ALLEN. MAYBE NOT WHEN RAY WAS IN HIS PRIME BUT RIGHT NOW THEY WOULD DO IT IN A HEART BEAT. BUT JOE IN HIS PRIME AND RAY IN PRIME ARE SIMILAR IN THERE STATURE, I THINK OVERALL HOWEVER, JOE IS BETTER!!
cccross
June 30th, 2010
9:24 pm
The problem is teams around us may be getting better such as the heat and bulls we may have beat boston in the regular season but you can’t tell me the hawks would have beat them in the playoffs we they were healthy. Ok we get joe back but its the playoffs when you make a name for yourself and joe has never done that except in one game years ago. I don’t mind joe coming back but not for 120 mill, this is what happens when you don’t draft correctly the first time
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:29 pm
JOE WAS HURT IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR. WHEN YOUR CONSTANTLY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM AND YOUR COACHES ANSWER IS TO KEEP ISOLATING U, AND SWITCHING ON DEFENSE AGAINST A TEAM LIKE ORLANDO, YOUR DOOMED ANYWAY. JOE IS A SOLID GUY IN THE PLAYOFFS. HE IS NOT MICHAEL JORDAN, BUT HE IS SOLID. HE IS NOT A MAX PLAYER, BUT THAT IS NOT THE ?. THE QUESTION IS ARE YOU GOING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN DO WHAT HE DOES AS WELL AS HE DOES, IN THE NEXT 6 YEARS? I SAY HELL NOOOOOOOO! RE-SIGN JJ AND OVERSPEND TO DO IT!! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE…AND PLAYOFF TEAMS WITH 50 WINS ONLY COMES LETS SAY EVERY 10 YEARS, ENJOY IT WHILE ITS HERE HAWKS FANS….
Stephen
June 30th, 2010
9:29 pm
how about we resign Johnson then trade Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and next year’s 1st for Carmelo. Maybe go after Brendon Haywood for the mid-level and do Haywood, Carmelo, JJ, Horford with either Bibby or Teague at the PG.
northcyde
June 30th, 2010
9:31 pm
I gotta give it up to the regular posters on here. At least most of you get it. It was pretty much Joe Johnson or BUST from the very start. Hopefully, JJ won’t be wooed by elaborate promises coming from NY, CHI, and DAL, and just take the money and stay in ATL.
And while I didn’t agree with Big Ray and Strickland much during the season, I’m in total agreement of their comments today. Great breakdown guys. It saved me a lot of typing.
It’s funny though. The vast majority of fans have called the ASG “cheap”. But when they decide to slightly overpay for their star player, those same people want them to go the “cheap route”, and bring in some C-List starter like a Luou Deng or Caron Butler.
Then you have fans worried about our ability to win a championship, when the Hawks haven’t even reached the EC Finals in most of our LIFETIMES.
Then you have yet another group who are mad that we signed JJ, and not another big time free agent. Forget the fact that we have gone over time and again what the rules of free agency are, how much we have to spend, and who we can spend it on. They still come back with the same trade or signing suggestions . . . which can’t be done.
So I would like to thank the “regulars” for looking at this as it truly is.
THIS IS A NUCLEAR ARMS RACE.
If we don’t have enough “nukes”, we will lose battle after battle and get blown to hell.
darrell starks
June 30th, 2010
9:31 pm
STEPHEN I CO SIGN
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
Antonio Bolton
June 30th, 2010
9:33 pm
Its some good points being made here tonight.
Lete’s see what Drew do with this Crew.
Has a good ring to it.
I truly believe we are going to progress no matter what happens…
cccross
June 30th, 2010
9:34 pm
@Classic hawks I think ddd is talking about big game situations something we haven’t seen from joe
ddd-house
June 30th, 2010
9:35 pm
ClassicHawks , i feel you; you are right. joe is better for 82 games he is, but when it come playoff he is no where to be found. how do we let the bucks take us to 7games in the 1st round! Ray show show up playoff games better than Joe and he can play on the road.
Go after Rudy Gay
darrell starks
June 30th, 2010
9:35 pm
This sign make no sense unless you bring a star player who will bring in revenue 2 this organization, other wise ASG will loose more money.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:38 pm
WHEN KNOBE DIDN’T HAVE SHAQ OR GASOL, HE DIDN’T MAKE IT OUT THE FIRST ROUND, DIDN’T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. I THINK YOU PUT KOBE, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE BEST PLAYER IN THE GAME, HE WOULD NOT GET THE HAWKS OUT OF THE 2ND ROUND RIGHT NOW. THINK ABOUT IT BRO. THE HAWKS ARE STILL YOUNG.
Stat Man
June 30th, 2010
9:38 pm
Is it just me, or does it seem that ASG teams find themselves in “NO WIN” situations more than the average??
This is certainly a no-win (help for 2-3 years, then he becomes Mike Bibby – Part 2 when his skills go away), the Thrashers with Heatley, then Hossa and last year with Kovalchuk.
BAD OWNERSHIP = BAD KARMA
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:39 pm
KOBE, LEBRON, BOSH, WADE, ANY ONE OF THESE GUYS REPLACE JJ. WE ARE WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP? I BEG TO DIFFER.
Tech Sucks
June 30th, 2010
9:39 pm
The problem is this team can’t beat Orlando period, WITH Joe Johnson.
If we spend all the money on him then what? Lose to them again in the 2nd round next year? If we tie all that money up with J.J. and get afford anyone else I don’t understand how any of us could expect to get out of the 2nd round next year.
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:40 pm
WHO CARES ABOUT THE THRASHERS, I SURE AS HELL DONT….
Tech Sucks
June 30th, 2010
9:41 pm
northcyde…..
We are going to get blown to hell anyway, even with JJ. That’s the problem. We need a point guard and a center and the ability to move Al to the 4.
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:41 pm
WE GET BIGS, AND WE DON’T DOUBLE DOWN ON THERE SHOOTERS, WE CAN BEAT ORLANDO…
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:43 pm
JEFF TEAGUE IS GOING TO BE A HELL OF A PG… AS LONG AS HE HEALTHY HE HAS ALL THE TOOLS, WE NEED TO SIGN SOME CENTERS, ILGAULKUS, SHAQ, SOME BODIES TO COMBAT THE EAST SIZE…
Blast
June 30th, 2010
9:44 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Rudy Gay just sign an extension with his team?
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:45 pm
@DDD. THE BUCKS TOOK US TO 7 GAMES BECAUSE MIKE WOODSON WOULDN’T COME OUT THAT STOOPID SWITCH DEFENSE AND BJ ATE US ALIVE!! DID YOU WATCH THE GAMES?
Reality Dawg!
June 30th, 2010
9:46 pm
Sign and Trade with Minnesota. Al Jefferson for J.J. Hawks get their 20-10 center and move horford to the 4. I guess this would make too much since?
ClassicHawks
June 30th, 2010
9:46 pm
RUDY IS A RESTRICTED FREE AGENT.
darrell starks
June 30th, 2010
9:46 pm
CHRIS PAUL OR CARMELO.
1.Chris paul i think hornets would take marvin and horford before carter and nelson, the trade would make a lot of sense for the hawks specialy if they sign haywood and chill.
STARTER CP3, JOE, CHILL, JOSH, HAYWOOD.
2.Carmelo a player who love ATLANTA and is always here but might want 2 go back 2 newyork and playball, and still have not sign the 3year deal 65mill from denver, may be josh and marvin for carmelo.
STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, CARMELO, HORFORD, HAYWOOD.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
June 30th, 2010
9:48 pm
im sorry you feel that way 303.. maybe he will give you an apology since he owes you one..
O'Brien
June 30th, 2010
9:49 pm
For all the fans who want JJ gone, would you be okay with the Hawks winning 42 games, and finishing 7th in the East? I don’t think so. If JJ leaves, and the Hawks only win 42 games, a lot of these same fans will be calling for Drew’s head, and complaining about how cheap the ASG is.
And for those who say you don’t give max contracts to somebody who is not a leader…last time I checked, Rashard Lewis has a max contract (not a leader), TMac had a max contract (not a leader), Iverson had a max contract (not a leader), and the list goes on.
Also, in the history of the league, guys with max contracts get traded all the time. And by the time JJ gets to his last year, ASG might not even own the Hawks.
As for future moves, if the Hawks bring back Chills, that puts them right at the luxury tax. I think they need to trade Jamal and try to get 2 bench pieces for him. Because right now, we need a big, and a backup SF. Sign Chills, and trade Jamal for frontcourt help.
AG7
June 30th, 2010
9:50 pm
DP, I’ve seen A LOT of STUPID comments here on AJC, buy yours is not impossible. Crawford’s contract runs out next year, Haywood plays good defense and might SLOW down howard, and McGee could play backup PF.
Chris Brown crying
June 30th, 2010
9:52 pm
Sounds like a Good Move if you want to train wreck your franchise. Go ahead ASg so you won’t have any money for the hockey side. IDIOTS. Deal With IT.
JOE
June 30th, 2010
9:56 pm
the hawks management is a joke, they hire an unqualified guy to coach them and then they offer superstar money to a guy that is only a GOOD player. Idiots !
bigdave
June 30th, 2010
9:56 pm
for what its worth.. i got my question entertained on a hoopsworld.com chat:
bigdave in Stankonia, GA:
does Joe sign? Wojnarowski tweets he wants to stay here.. at 119 mil i bet he does.. if Joe’s back.. i see moves being made this summer.. does Jamal Crawford and his expiring become expandable to acquire a solid big?
Tommy Beer:
If the Hawks put $119 million the table, I would be shocked if he turned that money down.
I think they’d shop J-Craw at the deadline, but would only part with him if they got good value back. He was one of the few Hawks who didn’t comepletely crumple in the postseason
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/chat.asp?status=&CHAT_TOPICS_ID=1035#ixzz0sOLU4oas
RAINMAN
June 30th, 2010
9:59 pm
LET HIM GO TO EVER WANTS HIM..HE IS NOT A TEAM LEADER…HE HAS SHOWN SINCE HE BEEN IN ATL THAT HE IS NOT A GO PLAYER THAT CAN CARRY THE TEAM….
michael
June 30th, 2010
10:02 pm
So we resign Joe, then what next year when Horford becomes a free agent? He’s worth more than Joe, imo.
ddd-house
June 30th, 2010
10:02 pm
ClassicHawks ; good point. i watch all the games and that switch defense was bad, that is made mike bibby looked sooo bad out there. all i am safe is that joe was never around, he never showed up. if we had a max real max player, kobe like you said, kobe would have went down fighting. you look at last 5mints of games everyone know kobe is going to get the ball and if he goes down, he go down firing, putting points up.
joe don’t do that, he is now where to be found.
Gutz
June 30th, 2010
10:03 pm
We gotta sign Joe. We really have no choice unless a S/T can be done for Butler/Haywood somehow. If we lose Joe we will barely make the playoffs next year. We need to see him play in a real offenes and not that ISO crap. Woody was a HORRIBLE offensive coach. I believe Drew will make our offense a ton better and everyone will thrive. Sign it Joe! Sign and trade Chill for another piece like McGee from Washington
Lineup of:
Teague/Bibby
JJ/Jamal/Jordan
Marvin/Evans/Jordan
Smoove/Horford/filler
Horford/Zaza/Mcgee
That lineup could dominate with a real offense and especially if Teague and Jordan Crawford can really produce.