"The Hawks met with Joe Johnson for a second time in Los Angeles on Thursday and expected to work out the details of a maximum contract offer for the free-agent guard, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.

The person said the Hawks expect Johnson to accept their six-year contract offer, which is expected to be worth about $121 million when the NBA sets the salary cap next week. The person did not want to be identified because the Hawks are not commenting on the details of their negotiations with Johnson.

The Hawks made the contract offer at the start of the free-agent negotiating period at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Johnson later met with officials from the Knicks who, like all teams other than the Hawks, are limited to making Johnson an offer for five years and about $92 million.

The person with knowledge of the negotiations said Johnson prefers to return to the Hawks. Johnson, 29, is a four-time All-Star who spent the past five seasons with the Hawks.

A person familiar with the Hawks' plans said re-signing Johnson would be the first step in the team's plans to become a serious contender in the Eastern Conference after they were dominated in the second round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The person did not want to be identified because the Hawks haven't publicly discussed their plans."