As expected, Atlanta Hawks forward Joe Johnson signed a six-year max deal worth $123.7 million.
Johnson will receive over $20 million each year, which will be more money than LeBron James — who spurned Cleveland and others for “South Beach” Miami — will receive (minus endorsements) in NBA salary.
“Although I explored several different opportunities this offseason, Atlanta was the place I wanted to be,” Johnson said in a statement.
With Johnson this past season, the Hawks won 53 games and finished third in the regular season standings of the NBA Eastern Conference. However, Johnson was criticized heavily for her poor performance in the second round of the playoffs, when the Hawks were steamrolled by the Orlando Magic by an average of 25 points per game.
Johnson was wooed by several other teams, but it was reported that those teams could only offer $25 million less than what the Hawks could.
“Staying in Atlanta provides the best opportunity to win today and in the future,” Johnson said. “My five years with the Hawks have been the best of my career, and I look forward to my teammates and I trying to reach our ultimate goal together, competing for a championship for the city of Atlanta.”
Do you like this article? Share It!
Post comment
Our Writers
Knox Bardeen is a sports writer with an irreparable addiction to the hit & run and great speed rushers. He covers Atlanta sports for AOL FanHouse and is a member of the Professional Football Writers Association. He got his start working for Fanball, writing about fantasy sports then moved on to covering press conferences in Flowery Branch and the clubhouse at Turner Field, and the Falcons and Braves games in between.
Jason Butt is a sports writer with an affinity for overwriting. He'd rather provide too much information than skimp, thus leaving his print publication editors in a frenzy. That's why he loves writing for the web so much. There are no space constraints. Jason covers the Atlanta Falcons for CBSSports.com, and has freelanced for a variety of publications including Athlon Sports Magazine and The Athens Banner-Herald. He got his start covering University of Georgia football at The Red & Black, the school's independent student newspaper.
Nubyjas Wilborn brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience covering the Atlanta sports scene. The Lithonia, GA native grew up literally with a sports page in his crib. He was reading local legendary scribe Furman Bisher while the other children were reading nursery rhymes. Nubyjas tried his hand at playing on the field and thought he would even play in the World Cup until he got embarrassed in a training session by Clint Mathis during his freshman year of college. He then realized it was easier and there was more longevity in talking about sports rather than playing. You can hear Nubyjas on WCLK 91.9 as the voice of Clark Atlanta Football and Basketball, see him in press boxes all over the city and doing updates on radio for Sporting News Radio.
Barrett Sallee is a sports writer with a background in new media, radio and television. He currently covers the SEC for CollegeFootballNews.com, and is a member of the Football Writer's Association of America. He has articles published on CFN, FoxSports.com and Scout.com. He believes in a ten-team playoff, defense winning championships and pursuing a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter.
Archives
Categories
Recent Posts
- Atlanta Braves Lineup – Saturday 7-24
- Andy Roddick Advances to Semis at Atlanta Tennis Championships
- John Isner Quickly Advances at ATC
- Ballots Are In For Preseason All-SEC Team
- SEC Media Days: Robbie Caldwell Steals The Show