Kristaps Porzingis Not Close to Hawks Contract Extension, 'Don't Wanna Rush Anything'

New Atlanta Hawks forward Kristaps Porziņģis has not yet signed an extension, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Per The Athletic's Fred Katz, Porziņģis and the Hawks still aren't close on an extension, but Porziņģis isn't in a hurry to get a new deal.

"I don't wanna rush anything and say this or that, but I wanna take it one day at a time," he said.

The Hawks acquired Porziņģis from the Boston Celtics in June in a three-team deal that also included the Brooklyn Nets. He's currently set to play the 2025-26 campaign on the second year of a two-year, $60 million contract.

The 30-year-old is coming off a solid season in which he averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 boards, but staying on the court was a bit of an issue. He played just 42 games during the regular season and was limited in the playoffs because of an illness he first dealt with in February but managed throughout the year.

Porziņģis told Katz that after resting and playing for the Latvian national team at Eurobasket over the offseason, he feels "awesome."

After losing much of his season to illness, Porziņģis didn't get the chance to show what he can do when he's at his best. For that reason, he wants to let the year play out to possibly earn a bigger contract than what he might get if he were to sign an extension in the near future.

"I know that's an option. I wanna see how the year goes," Porziņģis said. "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."

At his best, Porziņģis is threat around the basket and from deep as well as a versatile defender. If he is that version of himself this year, it could lead to a big pay day.