Manne wrote:
No LeBron James news yet, but some of the mini-superstars seem to be sticking with their former teams. Dirk Nowitzki decided to stay with the Dallas Mavericks and now Joe Johnson is sticking with the Altanta Hawks.
Johnson's agent has said that his client will sign the maximum, approximately $119 million over six years, nearly $27 million more than any other team could offer.
"When the free agency period kicked in, Joe made a point of talking to the Hawks first," Tellem wrote in the blog post. "Their owners and new coach, Larry Drew, impressed Joe with their commitment to making the team championship-caliber. In turn, Joe felt equally committed to the Hawks, his teammates and the city of Atlanta."
Johnson was doing his free agent rounds before deciding on the Hawks. He made stops with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls before opting for his original team. Johnson was seen as possible complimentary player with whichever team LeBron James or Dwyane Wade choose to sign with.
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