The NBA season is just around the corner, but before opening night, there's another big date on the calendar.
Monday 6 p.m. ET (Tuesday 9 a.m. AEDT), just 24 hours prior to the season tip-off, is the rookie extension deadline for teams to sign players to long-term deals, and for Aussie Dyson Daniels, the clock is ticking on a deal from the Atlanta Hawks.
Daniels put his best foot forward last season, emerging as a revelation for the Hawks, winning Most Improved Player of the Year, finishing runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year, and earning First-Team All-Defense honours, while leading the league in steals (229).
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He also saw his offense take a huge leap from 5.8 to 14.1 points, cementing himself as one of the league's emerging two-way stars.
Dyson Daniels had the CLAMPS ON all season long!
π Kia MIP winner
π Kia DPOY runner-up
π All-Defensive First Team
π Most steals in a season since Gary Payton
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β NBA (@NBA) August 5, 2025
Of his 2022 draft class, the top three picks in Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jabari Smith Jr. all signed extensions earlier this off-season, along with OKC's Jalen Williams, but today, a huge domino fell in Daniels' favour as Keegan Murray, the No. 4 pick in the class, agreed to a five-year, $140 million contract extension with the Sacramento Kings, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
ESPN's Bobby Marks projects that the Hawks will offer Daniels a five-year, $125 million extension; however, his agent is reportedly looking at Jalen Suggs' five-year, $150 million contract with the Orlando Magic last off-season as the benchmark.
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With Murray's deal reaching $140 million, a contract for Daniels at the $150 million mark seems well within reach for his camp.
While Murray has been solid for the Kings, his regression last season, coupled with Daniels being two-and-a-half years younger than him, is a big boost for the Aussie.
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The Hawks don't have to offer an extension to Daniels before this season and can let him hit restricted free agency and match any offers from other teams next summer.
However, if the 22-year-old continues on his upward trajectory, that would be a huge gamble from the Atlanta front office.