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After 2 seasons with the Celtics, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is was traded to Atlanta as part of a 3-team deal involving Brooklyn in the offseason.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n ATLANTA \u2014 No extension between Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and the Atlanta Hawks is imminent \u2014 and it\u2019s possible one won\u2019t occur at all.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that\u2019s an option. I want to see how the year goes,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said in a recent conversation with The Athletic. \u201cI want to show that I\u2019m playing at a high level again, that I\u2019m healthy, that I\u2019m everything, and then that kind of stuff will take care of itself, you know? We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n Porzi\u0146\u0123is, who the Hawks traded for in July and who turned 30 in August, is eligible to extend his contract this season. If he does not do so, he will become a free agent next summer.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to rush anything and say this or that, but I want to take it one day at a time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He is set to earn $30.7 million in 2025-26, meaning an extension could start with a salary as high as $43 million. However, as Porzi\u0146\u0123is puts it, he and the Hawks may be best waiting to commit.<\/p>\n Porzi\u0146\u0123is averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds for Boston during 42 regular-season games in 2024-25 but cratered during the playoffs, when he suffered from a mysterious virus that zapped him of his energy. By the time his Celtics made it to the postseason\u2019s second round, he looked little like himself.<\/p>\n After an offseason playing for the Latvian national team at Eurobasket, he says he is back to normal.<\/p>\n \u201cI just didn\u2019t have the engine that I usually have. As soon as I got some rest and got back in shape with the national team, I\u2019m feeling great,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said. \u201cI feel awesome now.\u201d<\/p>\n He has started at center during the preseason, though Hawks coach Quin Snyder has not said explicitly if Porzi\u0146\u0123is or the incumbent first-stringer, Onyeka Okongwu, who balled out down the stretch of last season, will be in the first five when the season opens.<\/p>\n Atlanta is in a transitional season after adding three rotation players \u2014 Porzi\u0146\u0123is, free-agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and sharpshooter Luke Kennard \u2014 this summer. The Hawks have reasons to wait on Porzi\u0146\u0123is that have nothing to do with him. After all, his contract may be up after this season, but he\u2019s not the only member of the squad whose future is in question.<\/p>\n Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels is eligible for an extension, too. If he doesn\u2019t sign one by Oct. 21, he will become a restricted free agent next summer. And most prominently, four-time All-Star Trae Young is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract. Young and the Hawks could agree to an extension at any point in 2025-26. If they don\u2019t, the point guard can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n With questions about 2026 and beyond lurking, the Hawks could justify waiting on Porzi\u0146\u0123is just as much as the 7-foot-3 center could want to wait on Atlanta.<\/p>\n The Hawks enter this season with loftier expectations than have met them since their run to the conference finals half a decade ago. The new additions, plus Young, Daniels, a healthy Jalen Johnson, 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher and a crestfallen Eastern Conference give them a chance to finish above the SoFi Play-In Tournament, possibly far above it, for the first time in four years.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really happy that I could end up in a place like this, playing with these young guys, playing with Trae, who\u2019s one of the best passers in the league,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said. \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting situation for me. I\u2019m very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Fred Katz<\/a> is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic. 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