Jalen Johnson and the Hawks There is still no trend towards a contract extension on a rookie scale, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack article.

Johnson is one of the few prominent players in the 2021 draft who did not sign a contract extension. In a front office column earlier this month, our Luke Adams ranked Johnson No. 1 among a group of nine players who are legitimate candidates to move up the rookie scale.

Another source told Stein that Johnson stood out in the Hawks' training camp and preseason. Johnson, the No. 20 pick in 2021, averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while appearing in 56 games (52 starts) during his breakout 2023-24 season.

Rookie scale extensions must be achieved by Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Otherwise, these players will be restricted free agents next summer.

Here's more from Stein:

• As he reported over the weekend, Quentin Grimes is, according to Stein, a main candidate for an extension outsider and Grimes, acquired from the Pistons in the offseason, are discussing a three-year deal.
• Trey Murphy III and the Pelicans are also in active negotiations for an extension before Monday's deadline, league sources tell Stein. Murphy will miss the first part of this season with a hamstring injury, but has been very productive when healthy. The five-year, $135 million extension was signed by San Antonio's in October 2023 Devin Vassell is a potential comparator for Murphy, notes Stein.
• Stein repeats a tweet from Saturday and says: Magic' Jalen suggests is looking for a deal with an average annual value of at least $30 million.