NBA Rumors: Bogdan Bogdanović, Hawks Agree to 4-Year, $68M Contract Extension

After being talked about as a potential trade candidate before the Feb. 9 deadline, Bogdan Bogdanović is extending his stay with the Atlanta Hawks.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks have agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with the 30-year-old guard.

Bogdanović originally joined the Hawks on a four-year deal worth $72 million in November 2020. The deal ran through this season with a player option for 2023-24.

According to Wojnarowski, Bogdanović declined his player option and the new contract will begin next season.

This is the first significant roster move the Hawks have made since Quin Snyder took over as head coach on Feb. 26. Nate McMillan was fired on Feb. 21 with a 29-30 record this season.

The Hawks continue to take steps back after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2020-21 season. They made the playoffs last season as the No. 8 seed before losing to the Miami Heat in five games.

Atlanta currently ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-35 record. There were rumors of tension between McMillan and Trae Young before the coaching change.

On Dec. 4, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported McMillan and Young had an "exchange" during a shootaround that resulted in Young not attending Atlanta's game against the Denver Nuggets.

"While Young was receiving treatment on his right shoulder, sources say McMillan asked him whether he would participate in shootaround, receive treatment during walk-through and play in the game against the Nuggets," Charania and Amick wrote. "But Young made it clear that he wanted to focus solely on his treatment while missing shootaround and deciding later in the day whether he would play."

Both men downplayed the situation afterward, but Charania reported on Dec. 30 that McMillan "strongly considered resigning" as head coach in the midst of the team's disappointing performance.

Bogdanović has dealt with injuries issues during his time with the Hawks. He missed 28 games in 2020-21 with an avulsion fracture in his right knee.

In 44 appearances during the 2020-21 regular season, the Serb averaged a career-high 16.4 points and shot 43.8 percent from three-point range.

Bogdanović missed 19 games last season. His scoring average dropped to 15.1 points and his three-point percentage fell to 36.8 on 7.3 attempts per contest.

After sitting out the first 22 games this season while recovering from offseason knee surgery, Bogdanović has been a key player off the bench in Atlanta. He is averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 40.1 percent from deep in 43 appearances.

Snyder and Hawks general manager Landry Fields have to build around the nucleus of their roster to make them a top-tier Eastern Conference contender.

Bogdanović's extension means he, Young and John Collins are signed for at least the next two seasons. Their next big piece of business could be negotiating a new deal with Dejounte Murray, who has one year left on his current contract.