No Progress In Josh Smith Extension Talks

The NBA's free-agent signing period is almost a week old and the Hawks are not close to signing Josh Smith to a long-term contract extension, one of his agents confirmed Sunday.

The Hawks have until Oct. 31 to agree to terms with Smith, and fellow fourth-year swingman Josh Childress, or table the discussion until next summer, when both players would become restricted free agents.

Smith, an Atlanta native and the team's second-leading scorer, made clear his desire to stay with the franchise through whatever tumult remains in the ongoing ownership dispute. But it's unclear as to whether the Hawks have reciprocated that feeling.

"With the uncertainty surrounding the organization you would think that they would want to sign a player who has made it clear to them that he wants to be here [in Atlanta] and shown that he wants to improve as a player," said Wallace Prather, one of Smith's agents. "And it's very disappointing that they're not making it a priority."

With Smith entering the fourth-year option of his rookie contract, which will pay him $1.6 million, the Hawks still have several months to get a deal done.

Via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Hawks

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets

Horford Not Willing To Play Third Fiddle

Greg Oden and Kevin Durant were the consensus can't-miss picks in June's draft, but third selection Al Horford may be the most NBA ready of the bunch. He's certainly earning high praise from the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff at the Rocky Mountain Revue.

"Al was a beast around the basket. He played like an NBA veteran tonight," gushed Larry Drew, a Hawks assistant coach who is the head coach of Atlanta's Revue team after the No. 3 overall pick in last month's draft scored 18 points on Friday night against the Jazz in his summer league debut.

Individually the 6-10 center/power forward was quieter in helping the Hawks down the Spurs on Saturday at Salt Lake Community College. Horford came off the bench to score nine points with nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Teammate Sheldon Williams led the way with 23 points and 11 boards.

Horford's team winning, despite his smaller personal stats, made his second game better than his first, he said.

Via Deseret News

Atlanta Hawks

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets

Hawks Sign Horford And Law

The Atlanta Hawks announced today that the franchise has signed first round picks Al Horford and Acie Law to multi-year contracts. According to Assistant General Manager Gary Fitzsimmons, the players are now clear to participate in the Hawks’ rookie-free agent camp which begins this evening at Philips Arena. Horford and Law, picked #3 and #11 respectively in the June 28th draft, will also travel later in the week with the rest of the Hawks squad to the Rocky Mountain Revue, scheduled July 13-20 in Salt Lake City, UT.

Via RealGM Staff Report

Atlanta Hawks

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets