Onyeka Okongwu Shares His Reaction to Signing His Extension With the Hawks

Okongwu signed a four-year $62 million dollar extension yesterday

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Oct 24, 2023 3:56 PM EDT

In this story:

Yesterday was the deadline for players on the final year of their first-round rookie scale contract as well as extension-eligible veterans with two years left on their deal to sign those extensions. The Atlanta Hawks had two players that were up for those extensions, center Onyeka Okongwu and forward Saddiq Bey.

Just minutes before the deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Okongwu is going to be signing a four-year $62 million dollar extension with the Hawks. The deal was officially announced by the Hawks just a few hours later.

What was Okongwu doing when he found out about the contract?

"I was playing my PS5, not knowing what was going to happen, but thank God that I was able to sign a multi-year extension and play with all of the guys here, I am blessed with that opportunity and hopefully this is a blessing, and a sign for things to happen in the future."

Okongwu said that he already knew beforehand that the extension was going to get done:

"I already knew beforehand what was going to happen so it was coming down to the wire and I was blessed to be able to get it done"

Okongwu went on to say how much the extension meant to him and how it showed the Hawks' belief in him and how much of a relief it was to not have to go through restricted free agency this summer:

"It means a lot, having all the guys here, it means being a cornerstone for this franchise for the future. It definitely is a relief, you don't want to have to go through all that and I love the guys here, the coaching staff, my teammates, I wanted to stay here for those guys, but now I can play basketball freely."

This deal was well received across the NBA , including by ESPN's Zach Lowe, who praised the deal and Okongwu as a player on his latest episode of the Lowe Post Podcast:

"Okongwu has essentially been a center in the NBA. Any attempt to stretch his range or to play him with another center has not worked well and he's an undersized center. I am still kinda surprised... I think this deal could age really, really well for the Hawks or whatever team has Onyeka Okongwu on their team. I think he is really, really good. Very switchable on defense, a good roller, has some scoring touch and feel to his game and I think that is the next big phase for him, how comfortable could he get with the ball in traffic, as an elbow facilitator. That is Isaiah Stewart money basically and I think he is a significantly better player now and long-term than Isaiah Stewart.

That is not to say that it is a bad deal because the guy has been a backup and the guy just made $62 million dollars of guaranteed money. Both teams can win these contracts, it could be a wonderful outcome for everyone. I just think that deal, compared to some of the others we have seen, is a lock to age really, really well, from a team perspective."