DHJ Quick Take: Jock Landale Returns to the Atlanta Hawks
Jock Landale is re-signing with the Atlanta Hawks on a one-year, $14 million deal, turning down a wide field of suitors to stay in the frontcourt rotation that revived his value last season.
- What did Jock Landale decide? He is returning to Atlanta on a one-year, $14 million contract, the richest annual salary of his career.
- Why did the Hawks prioritize him? He shot 39.1% from three across 23 games after a deadline trade, giving Atlanta floor spacing at center behind Onyeka Okongwu.
- Why does it matter? It settles one of Atlanta’s clearest roster needs without dipping far into its mid-level exception, keeping depth at a thin position.
- What’s next? Atlanta can finalize the deal once the signing moratorium lifts July 6, with free agency negotiations opening Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT.
Veteran center Jock Landale intends to re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks on a one-year, $14 million contract, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal. The deal keeps one of the league’s more productive reserve bigs off the open market just as free agency negotiations get underway.
The agreement gives the 30-year-old Australian his richest annual salary to date and rewards a late-season run that turned a midseason salary-dump acquisition into a player Atlanta prioritized retaining. Landale had drawn interest from a crowded field this summer, with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State Warriors all linked to the stretch five before he circled back to the team that gave him a second act.
Jock Landale Rebuilt His Value With the Atlanta Hawks
Landale arrived in Atlanta almost by accident. He was moving through a chain of February trades, going from Memphis to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal before the Jazz waived him, and the Hawks scooped him up for cash considerations a day later. He skipped the team’s offered flight and drove overnight to Georgia to be available faster, then put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks in his debut.
Over 23 regular-season games with Atlanta, he averaged 9.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 51.6% from the field and 39.1% from three. That kind of floor spacing from a 6-foot-11 center is what made him such a clean fit, and it traveled across both of his stops last season. Combining his Memphis and Atlanta minutes, Landale shot 38.3% from beyond the arc on a career-high volume, the sort of efficiency that nudged his projected market well past the veteran minimum he played on a year ago.
A right high ankle sprain, suffered on a play with Goga Bitadze on April 1, cut his season short and kept him out of Atlanta’s first-round series against the Knicks. The injury did little to dampen interest, since the body of work was already there.
What Jock Landale’s Return Means for Atlanta’s Frontcourt
Bringing Landale back gives Atlanta a reliable backup behind Onyeka Okongwu and some insurance in a frontcourt that leaned heavily on youth after last summer’s Kristaps Porzingis swing didn’t pan out. With several rotation centers either dealt or sidelined down the stretch, depth at the five had been the roster’s clearest hole.
The money fits the team’s cap picture, too. By declining Jonathan Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option, Atlanta opened up access to its full mid-level exception, and a $14 million one-year number for Landale slots in without pushing the Hawks against the tax apron. It also keeps a familiar face around a group that is turning over plenty of roster spots this offseason while building around forward Jalen Johnson.
Teams can begin finalizing deals when the signing moratorium lifts on July 6.
More NBA Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
- Sources: Robert Williams III To Re-Sign With Portland Trail Blazers On Multi-Year Deal
- Sources: Luke Kennard Drawing Strong Interest From Phoenix Suns
- Sources: Golden State Warriors Prefer Signing LeBron James Without Trading For Anthony Davis
- Sources: Houston Rockets Favorites To Sign Marcus Smart In Free Agency
- Sources: Gary Trent Jr. Trending Toward Multi-Year Deal With Milwaukee Bucks
- Sources: Los Angeles Lakers Among Teams Targeting Sandro Mamukelashvili In Free Agency
- Sources: Toronto Raptors Favored To Land Kawhi Leonard, Dallas Mavericks Unlikely
- Sources: Chicago Bulls Emerging As Suitor To Watch For Normal Powell
- Sources: Miami Heat Monitoring Tim Hardaway Jr. Among Free Agent Targets
- Memphis Grizzlies Trade Ja Morant To Portland Trail Blazers
