Hawks’ Kristaps Porzingis In No Rush For Contract Extension

Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis is currently eligible for a contract extension with his new team after the Boston Celtics traded him over the summer. The former All-Star, however, told Fred Katz of The Athletic that he’s in no hurry to negotiate a new deal.

“I know that’s an option,” Porzingis said of a potential extension. “I wanna see how the year goes. And I wanna show that I’m playing at a high level again, that I’m healthy, that I’m everything, and then that kind of stuff will take care of itself, you know? We’ll see. … I don’t wanna rush anything and say this or that, but I wanna take it one day at a time.”

Kristaps Porzingis, Trae Young Eligible For Contract Extensions

Per Spotrac, Porzingis is earning $30.7 million in the 2025-26 campaign, the final season of a two-year, $60 million extension he signed with the Celtics in 2023. He completed the deal almost immediately after the Washington Wizards traded him to Boston.

Perhaps the Hawks prefer to take a wait-and-see approach, as Porzingis played in just 99 regular-season games over his two seasons with the Celtics. Injuries and illness caused him to miss 65 regular-season games with Boston.

This means Atlanta is expected to let Porzingis play out his current contract, especially considering the team hasn’t aggressively looked to extend Trae Young either as he enters a potential contract year.

In addition to Young earning $45.99 million in 2025-26, his deal also holds a $48.96 million player option for 2026-27. This is part of the five-year, $215.15 million rookie max extension he signed with the Hawks in 2021.

Had Young been named All-NBA last season, he would have been eligible to ink a five-year, $345 million super max extension with Atlanta this summer.

Porzingis Excited To Play For Hawks

As for joining a young Hawks squad, Porzingis is looking forward to playing alongside Young.

“I was really happy that I could end up in a place like this, playing with these young guys, playing with Trae, who’s one of the best passers in the league,” he told Katz. “It’s an exciting situation for me. … I’m very, very happy.”

In 42 games (all starts) with Boston last season, Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 28.8 minutes per contest while shooting 48.3% from the field and 41.2% from deep.

The 30-year-old struggled through the 2025 playoffs while dealing with the lingering effects of an undisclosed illness that sidelined him for nine games in March.

Although Porzingis averaged just 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 20.9 minutes per game on a shooting line of .316/.154/.689 during Boston’s playoff run, he told Katz that playing for the Latvian national team over the summer helped him get back in shape.

“I just didn’t have the engine that I usually have,” said the former first-round pick. “… As soon as I got some rest and got back in shape with the [Latvian] national team, I’m feeling great. I feel awesome now.”

Because Porzingis is on an expiring contract, he will be eligible to sign an extension with the Hawks until June 30, 2026. The same rule applies for Young, assuming he declines his 2026-27 player option.

Atlanta hosts the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 22 to open its 2025-26 season.