The Hawks cannot decide when they will make it official, but either today or Friday, the team will match the three-year, $22.5 million offer sheet that restricted free agent point guard Jason Terry signed with the Utah Jazz on Sept. 11. The only certainty is the team won't let Terry jet off to Salt Lake City, but it has until 11:59 p.m. Friday.

"It won't come down to the time of the day," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said. "Hopefully, it'll just get done, and we'll move on."

But given how long it's taken for the Hawks to get anything done this offseason, anything is possible.

Patience has been a necessity this summer, but now is the time when the team should be getting a wee bit antsy. Training camp begins Tuesday for rookies and players with less than four years' experience, with veterans arriving Oct. 2, and the Hawks still have gaping holes at small forward and shooting guard.

"Obviously, we'd like to have guys before training camp. That's what we're going to try to do," Knight said.

But Knight said he intends to stay below the luxury tax threshold --- "We can't go over," he said --- no matter whom he signs. High on the Hawks' priority list is San Antonio Spurs free agent Stephen Jackson, a 6-foot-8 wing who averaged 11.8 points last season. The San Antonio Express-News reported this week that Jackson turned down the Spurs' three-year, $10 million deal before the team acquired Ron Mercer and Hedo Turkoglu in a three-team trade in July. He might not receive that kind of money from either the Hawks or the Los Angeles Clippers, the other team that is reportedly considering engaging his services.

"We have interest in him, absolutely," Knight said of Jackson. "He's young, he's got talent, been on a championship team."