Atlanta Hawks: Waiting on J.J. (UPDATE: J.J. expected to accept offer in second meeting)
Assuming he can use an extra $25 million or so, J.J. willl be back. (Bob Rosato/SI)
(UPDATE: A person with knowledge of the process said the Hawks are to meet with J.J. again in L.A. with the expectation that the two sides will work out the details of a contract agreement.)
What’s up, blog people? Shaking off the cobwebs after staying up way too late and obsessively checking the Blackberry for some confirmation that J.J. accepted Atlanta’s maximium contract offer. No official word on that yet but my prediction that there’s no way he (or any other older free agent) leaves that much cash on the table is looking pretty good. I’ll update as the day goes along.
After Rick Sund met with Joe and his agent to extend the offer, the Knicks made their pitch to him. The Heat also are trying to get in the running. The Mavs also want to get an audience with Joe even though they have no cap room.
None of those teams has Atlanta’s $27 million advantage. Sure, J.J. could try to force a sign-and-trade to one of those teams and still get his Bird rights money, but that would require an agreement between the Hawks and the new team. Why go through all of that when a max offer is sitting in front of him?
Also, while the Hawks aren’t a championship-level team, they are better right now than any of the teams with the cap space to offer J.J. the max. Sure, those teams all can get better by making moves, but this is another area where J.J. has what he wants in front of him so why take a chance somewhere else? The Hawks are going to have to get creative to improve the team once J.J. re-signs but they already have a good team.
It seems much of the league was surprised that the Hawks offered the maximum. I couldn’t find anyone who predicted J.J. would re-sign in Atlanta, probably because no one believed ASG would spend the money. NBA.com’s David Aldridge says Sund and his people (who’ve always been big J.J. fans) had to convince the owners to make the investment. Aldridge also amplified what I said in yesterday’s blog about future trading possibilities for J.J.:
“And if the Hawks don’t break through in the East in the next couple of seasons, Johnson will only be 31 in the summer of 2012, and still have a lot of teams interested in his services. You can always trade him, the argument went; someone will rise up in the next few years into contender status, and teams on the rise tend to be more willing to go all-in for a year or two and make a trade for a high-priced player.”
That happens all the time in the NBA. It’s why when Michael Gearon Jr was lamenting that Jermaine O’Neal was overpaid last season, I was thinking that O’Neal still got traded along to Toronto and then later to Miami after the Pacers gave him a big-money deal. This was after he proved to be injury-prone and unable to get them over the top.
Aldridge ended his post with a sentiment I saw expressed by other reporters on Twitter last night: “It no doubt also came up that it’s highly unlikely that the current Atlanta Spirit ownership group will still be in charge of the Hawks in six years. Johnson’s due bill will be someone else’s problem by then.”
If that indeed is part of their rationale, it’s obviously a cynical point of view. From a practical standpoint it’s also risky since no one is lining up to buy sports teams nowadays. More likely, the Hawks figure they can always move J.J. later and start over if things don’t work out. It’s not an unrealistic expectation.
MC
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444 comments Add your comment
Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:17 pm
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Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:17 pm
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Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:17 pm
So the ASG steps up to the plate, but had to be convinced of doing so. Heh…
Woodson II ( the sequel)
July 1st, 2010
1:18 pm
Enter your comments here
Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
I MUS ,
Co-sign your basketball comments. As for the rest, thanks for the warning, cause Ima get my drank on. Oh wait, I’m da po-po…
Woodson II ( the sequel)
July 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
next season I will be featuring the SAME DAMN THING YOU SAW THIS YEAR.
JC
July 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
@Big Ray – I’m guessing this was the fair trade agreement since ASG obviously overruled Sund’s desire to bring in D. Casey in favor of Drew.
doc
July 1st, 2010
1:20 pm
ah, asg doing the bait and switch routine?
Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:21 pm
Truth Serum,
Coming back with the same five could change the results a little with a different offensive and defensive scheme. Whether or not it will be a good change or bad change is the question.
But yeah, it won’t be ENOUGH of a change to expect ENOUGH of a more positive result (competing for the Eastern Conference crown).
True Atlanta Fan
July 1st, 2010
1:21 pm
MC,
So exactly how much money would we have left (if any) after this max contract is done to spend on some help. And what would be our best bet (if you include the option of a S&T with Childress granted that he doesn’t want to stay)
Also is there any hope that there will be cap room in the future to re-sign Horford to a good deal?
victor
July 1st, 2010
1:23 pm
@ Chip Shot
The Hawks already has a bad history of signing point guards with past knee problems,does the name Speedy Claxton ring a bell? Surely Chris Paul is a much better player than speedy but the knee would be suspect.
Reid Adair
July 1st, 2010
1:26 pm
You’ll just be jumping for you, hey, Michael? Your love for Joe Johnson overflows. It’s a shame that the fans buying the tickets rather than getting the press credentials don’t all agree with you.
Perhaps there’s still hope Joe will be moving on to another team. I know you don’t like to hear that, but until he signs, there’s hope.
JC
July 1st, 2010
1:28 pm
@Woodson II – 50+ wins, with the added bonus of actually calling plays during the postseason? Sign me up!
I know there’s no reason to believe me now, but just remember you heard it here first: Drew is not Woodson.
Melanie
July 1st, 2010
1:28 pm
COME ON BACK HOME JOE! I’ll LEAVE ON THE PORCH LIGHT
Big Ray
July 1st, 2010
1:29 pm
JC ,
LOL
I MUS WRITE
July 1st, 2010
1:29 pm
Big Ray- Get you drink on but be careful. i sure i dont have to tell u that since you are the “PO PO” LOL. No need in risking your lively-hood for a few shots of Tequila. Just curious-since you guys are held to a higher standard if an off duty police man gets nabbed for DUI what goes down-suspension,fired,reprimand……
JC
July 1st, 2010
1:31 pm
@Victor – sorry, did you just compare CP3 to Craig Claxton? Just making sure.
NC Braves Fan
July 1st, 2010
1:34 pm
Going to be an interesting off-season to be sure. After two second round flameouts (the second being much worse that the first), the mandate for change is there.
The name plate on the coach’s door is different and with it apparently will come a different philosophy and approach (even if LD has been here a while). And now Joe is getting an offer that can only be construed as showing that Sund and the ASG want him back. The ball’s in his court on that count now.
Is that “enough” change balanced against the Hawks playoff performance? Not to me. So I’m curious to see what unfolds in the weeks ahead in terms of trades.
steve brown
July 1st, 2010
1:38 pm
He hasn’t taken it yet. This is a chess game and in order to have good will with JJ in case JJ is leaving and a sign and trade becomes the only way the Hawks get any value out of this they had to give a max offer for JJ to use as leverage with the other teams romancing him.
John
July 1st, 2010
1:41 pm
He’s going to do the same as everyone else….won’t make a decision until Monday. He already said he’s going to take a “couple of days” to think about it.
tckr83
July 1st, 2010
1:41 pm
For a franchise that has been losing money and has also been rumored to possibly be for sale right now, if not in the near future… this makes no sense.
To pay a guy that isn’t worth the money he wants, UNLESS you get a sign-n-trade done. Why didn’t they play this one like they did Josh Smith? See what the market value was for JJ and then react. Just seems like the Hawks tipped their hand way too early…
eh
July 1st, 2010
1:43 pm
lets get Dwayne Wade in the ATL
John
July 1st, 2010
1:43 pm
@tckr82….Josh was a “restricted” free agent…JJ is not.
NC Braves Fan
July 1st, 2010
1:43 pm
Oh and one more thing – kudos to MC for seeing the Joe situation perfectly. A lot of those national guys live in an echo chamber and come to a “conventional wisdom” conclusion on this stuff that is flat out wrong – A LOT!
Gotta respect the hard-working local guy who’s with the team consistently and doesn’t have some of the biases that people far removed from the Hawks do.
Scoots
July 1st, 2010
1:50 pm
Joe Contract
JC
July 1st, 2010
1:50 pm
@tckr83 – wow, I’m starting to feel like a Sund/ASG apologist.
I’d contend that the max move was the right one strategically. Before he can get jazzed and be sold into the Knicks/Bulls/Heat building of a dynasty, of which he would likely not get the max and play a complementary, not a main, role.
If he simply signs with someone else, the Hawks get nothing. This way, we either get to hold onto a 4-time all-star or get a major piece for a sign and trade. Bottom line, he’s not going to let himself get too pumped about playing second fiddle to LeBron or Wade when he knows there’s $$$ on the table.
Scoots
July 1st, 2010
1:50 pm
This sucks
JC
July 1st, 2010
1:51 pm
@eh – no.
tckr83
July 1st, 2010
1:52 pm
John,
30M dollars is 30M dollars… plus the 6th year. Everything that JJ wants, Joe would’ve eventually signed his max contract. I really don’t care if JJ comes back, I hope he’s part of a sign-n-trade. He’s worn out his welcome in Atlanta and if JJ really wants to win like he says he does… he would accept his actual value (less than max) and let the Hawks use that extra money to better the roster. Can’t blame him if the Hawks have offered him this deal though.
Unfortunately, if Joe Johnson remains in Atlanta… the Hawks have probably hit their ceiling unless they get a true Center in here and Teague turns into Rondo all of a sudden.
newkid
July 1st, 2010
1:54 pm
Lebron leaves Cleveland and franchise loses much of the added value its gained over past half decade or more. One estimate is that the value will decline by $250M.
Lesson to ASG: Build the franchise’s value then sell high. How? Go get CP3 to pair with JJ, Horford, and Javale McGee. Imagine lobs from CP3 to McGee. Remember the chemistry between CP3 and Chandler?. Basketball tailor-made for ESPN stuff.
Sell in ‘11 so that you’re not around in ‘12 to screw up the deal (i.e., JJ & picks) when Superman wants to return to his roots.
GABred
July 1st, 2010
1:56 pm
In all honesty, I feel we (Hawks)got better simply by letting Woodson go. He was partially to blame for J Smooth’s slow maturation, which I think is going to be the difference between playoffs & championship. Although JJ isn’t the in your face leader I would like him to be, the personnel in ATl is in place. The mental toughness needed to be champions (see Al Horford) is what separates us from hoisting a trophy. Both Boston and Cleveland got weaker simply by this process, there is some benefits to the retention but only if partnered by maturity.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 1st, 2010
1:57 pm
“Josh Smith, Jeff Teague, and Jamal Crawford to Hornets for Okafor, Darren Collison, and David West.”
I think the Hawks would be giving up too much by including Smoove. West isn’t a center either, so the Hawks would either be left continuing to play Horford at center or would have West coming off the bench while the injury prone Okafor starts at center. Neither move upgrades the Hawks.
I do think any trade with New Orleans becomes a realistic possibility only if the other team agrees to take Okafor off their hands. I actually think that will be more important to the Hornets than getting a good player in return, regardless of whether they trade Paul or Collison.
Hamp
July 1st, 2010
2:00 pm
Sign and Trade please!
JeromeMJ
July 1st, 2010
2:04 pm
I hope it is a sign and trade deal. He is a middle tier player at best and not championship caliber. It is because of his me me me style that the Hawks didn’t go further. Maybe the fans can trade the owners for someone with skils.
Peter
July 1st, 2010
2:06 pm
What a waste of money on a ME guy…..the Ball stops with JJ, and the rest of the players know that !
The hawks are loosing so much money, this was just another in a series of BAD Decisions !
tp
July 1st, 2010
2:06 pm
I don’t know much, but I do know one thing: If we could get Chris Paul for Josh, Crawford and perhaps another player or two, I wouldn’t hesitate one moment to pull off that deal!
Mike is back
July 1st, 2010
2:06 pm
MC, first off great news…I have to admit I’m little surprise ASG broke bread too.
Thanks for the insight from AD…I catch all his interviews on NBA TV…especially since he has taken a sudden interest in the Hawks. I caught him and Steve Smith on NBA TV the day the LD hiring was announced…they both thought LD was a good fit for Hawks.
I also agree with your sentiment that with the resigning of JJ…the Hawks are still one the top teams in the East…just not in the top two elite spots…we know that’s Boston and Orlando right now.
That means if LBJ, and who ever ends up at Chicago or Miami…the pecking order want change that much if JJ comes back…cuz that team would be taking the Cavs old spot. You would still end up with three elite teams in the East just like last season.
That’s where LD’s pentriangle offense will come into play…maybe it can us help bridge the gap of the Elite Three. I know that is a discussion for another day…I’m sure AJ will be all over that discussion. lol
Benji
July 1st, 2010
2:07 pm
I would not pick Joe Sorry Johnson in a pick up game at the park. He is not a leader and he will never win a Championship for atlanta. Lets go after someone who is consistent. Joe Johnson is like Chipper Jones he should have been gone.
darrell starks
July 1st, 2010
2:09 pm
MC WHY WOULD HORNET WANT JOSH WHEN THEY ALREADY HAVE DAVID WEST ?
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
tckr83
July 1st, 2010
2:10 pm
JC-
Why are you apologizing for a dysfunctional ownership group? It’s a circus and the degree to which they want to win is sometimes there one second and perplexingly missing/lessened the next.
You telling me that Larry Drew was THE BEST option for a coach this offseason? Come on man! Larry Drew would’ve been the 4th, 5th or even a non-invite for every franchise in the NBA that is sold on winning championships alone. They skimped and this is why Phillips Arena sits half full/half empty for half of the Hawks’ home games…
As far as the ownership actually using the $ gained by trading away the #31 pick to add a veteran presence worth that money… i’ll hold my breath. Joe Smith part II isn’t going to improve this team.
tom
July 1st, 2010
2:10 pm
leave a voicemail for JJ that he has 24hrs to make a decision then the offer is off the table. The offer is way to high. He just is not that good as in good riddence. He and Bibby need to leave us alone.
RP3
July 1st, 2010
2:10 pm
First of all $119 Million is waaay too much money to offer JJ. I like him and he’s never been involved in any off-the-court news so I commend him for that. But for that kind of money you could let him walk and sign a kid like Rudy Gay out of Memphis (who’s essentially the same player as JJ) and still have money left over to make another move. Secondly, name ONE player who actually played HARDER after signing a max contract? Strong possibility he’ll loaf around for 3 years then ask for a trade anyway. Go after Rudy Gay and CP3.
N-Trigue
July 1st, 2010
2:11 pm
Stop dreaming! We will not be trading Josh Smith anytime soon! Even though he’s not the best player he is the most exciting and people come to the highlight factory to see Josh’s dunks, blocks, and ally oops! If you take Josh away means less people in seats unless they trade him for a Lebron or Kobe type of player and that’s not gonna happen so stop dreaming people!
darrell starks
July 1st, 2010
2:11 pm
MC horford make more sense for the hornet, and they can bring okafor of the bench.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
dtruth
July 1st, 2010
2:13 pm
Joe is not worth the money. He showed he has no balls during the playoffs every year he has been here. Anyone can do things during the regular season, but the money is made in the playoffs. Get someone else if at all possible. Pleeeaassee!
darrell starks
July 1st, 2010
2:13 pm
MC horford and marvin for chris paul the saleries match.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
lets go!!
July 1st, 2010
2:18 pm
HATER’S CANT BE MAD CAUSE ITS HIS PAY DAY!!
jlewis
July 1st, 2010
2:18 pm
Question. If JJ is no good and everyone wants to do a sign and trade, could someone tell me a valuable asset that the hawks can trade? Everyone knows JJ’s value it would seem, except the people that got their feelings hurt. Bibby(no value), Josh(headcase), Marvin(Please), Jamal(expiring next year, maybe), ZaZa(please), Mo(please). Al is the only one with value, and the question will be, can he play power forward, he is not a center. So the one thing most teams want(JJ), some fans want to get rid of, logic is a rare commodity.
Mitch
July 1st, 2010
2:26 pm
The tremendous irony is that if JJ gets the max, the Hawks will have to raise ticket prices for the fans that JJ “could care less” about. This is surreal.
ryan
July 1st, 2010
2:30 pm
If not CP3 i do like Rudy Gay & Marc Gasol Rudy is a little cheaper than Chris Paul and healthier.