The Atlanta Hawks are busy getting through their preseason schedule before the regular season kicks off next week against the Toronto Raptors. Hawks fans have already gotten to see some of this busy offseason's acquisitions in action, including Kristaps Porzingis, whom the team acquired from the Boston Celtics over the summer.
Porzingis is currently entering a contract year, meaning he is set to hit free agency next summer, and recently, the big man got 100% real on his thoughts entering this important season for his pockets, including the possibility of a contract extension with Atlanta.
“I know that’s an option. I wanna see how the year goes,” Porziņģis said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. “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,” he added.
A big potential addition for the Hawks
Of course, the biggest question mark for Kristaps Porzingis throughout his career has been his health, a problem that once again flared up during the Celtics' shocking playoff loss to the New York Knicks last season. In that series, Porzingis eventually became unplayable due to a mysterious illness that he has since overcome.
However, when he's on the court, Porzingis remains one of the most talented big men in the NBA today, able to protect the rim at an elite level and knock down threes with more accuracy than any big man not named Karl-Anthony Towns.
If Porzingis can stay on the floor somewhat consistently with Atlanta, he'll be arguably the best teammate of Trae Young's career and form the league's best big man rotation with Onyeka Okongwu. The fact that both players can space the floor could give head coach Quin Snyder the option to play Porzingis and Okongwu together in spurts, which would give Atlanta elite size.
In any case, the Hawks' season is set to tip off on October 22 against the Raptors at 7:30 PM ET from Atlanta.
