NBA star Joe Johnson staying with the Hawks

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Joe Johnson is staying with the Atlanta Hawks after signing a maximum contract with the team as confirmed by his agent, Arn Tellem on Sunday.

According to Yahoo news:

Tellem wrote that Johnson, who could have signed as a free agent with another team, chose to remain in Atlanta over Chicago and New York, where he would have been reunited with Mike D'Antoni, his former coach in Phoenix.

Under NBA rules, a team is allowed to pay more to keep a free agent than other teams can offer in salary if he opts to move.

In addition to the financial incentive, the Hawks have reached the second round of the playoffs the past two years, and Tellem said Johnson believed winning in Atlanta "would be more meaningful".