Dyson Daniels took his game to a new level with the Atlanta Hawks last season. After putting up middling scoring figures and showing strong defensive instincts with the New Orleans Pelicans, Daniels broke out in Atlanta, earning himself the Most Improved Player award for the 2024-25 NBA season.
That performance also earned Daniels a new four-year, $100 million rookie contract extension ahead of Monday’s deadline, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
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The move indicates the Hawks are all-in on Daniels following last year’s breakout. After averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds over two seasons with the Pelicans, Daniels blossomed after being traded to the Hawks last July.
Daniels, 22, was installed as a full-time starter with Atlanta and saw virtually every one of his stats improve. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He also led the league with 3.0 steals per contest.
Those improvements weren’t just the result of Daniels playing more; he also saw his field-goal percentage jump to .493 and proved to be an effective threat from beyond the arc, shooting .340 on 3-point attempts. Both figures were solid increases based on what he accomplished in New Orleans.
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While Daniels’ offensive improvement was massive, his defense made him elite. Daniels ranked first in steals and steal percentage. His 3.7 defensive win shares ranked 18th. That performance earned Daniels a second-place finish for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He received 25 first-place votes for the award, but lost out to Evan Mobley. Daniels also made the NBA All-Defensive first team, finishing with the second-highest vote total among all players.
Prior to his extension, Daniels — the No. 8 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft — was entering the final year of his rookie contract, and was set to make $7.7 million next season before hitting free agency. While a massive extension for Daniels seemed less likely a year ago, his improvements last season all but guaranteed that the Hawks would shell out significant money to keep him around.
He got that deal just ahead of season tipoff, ensuring Daniels will remain a core member of a young Hawks team looking to improve after two straight seasons of missing out on the playoffs.
