Atlanta Hawks interested in Luol Deng
The rumors are starting to appear all over the place with NBA Free Agency beginning today, and one of the bigger ones for the Atlanta Hawks has been in regards to Cleveland small forward Luol Deng.
One strong candidate for that $15M-plus of fresh salary cap space in Atlanta, league sources tell Yahoo: Free agent forward Luol Deng.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2014
According to CBS’s Ken Berger, the Hawks were one of several teams who contacted Deng’s agent to discuss acquiring the 6-9, 220-pound wing.
The Hawks, Clippers and Mavs led the charge in contacting Luol Deng's reps tonight, league source confirms.
— Ken Berger (@KBergNBA) July 1, 2014
Free agency should play out slowly for Deng, as the smart move would be to wait for Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James to decide where they will be playing, and then upping his earnings as teams rush to get the best players available. Apparently Deng is looking for a deal in the range of $10-12 million per year. During the season, Deng turned down a three-year, $30 million offer from Chicago before being traded to Cleveland.
While his perimeter defense would be a great addition to the Hawks, some question whether his offensive production and efficieny would be worth a $10 million + price tag.
Jason Walker, the managing editor of Peach Tree Hoops, was one of the many who aren’t sure whether Deng would be worth a contract that large:
I'm trying, but I can't see the fit with Luol Deng and the Hawks. Here's his shot chart: pic.twitter.com/gyrgwsBYJy
— Jason Walker (@JasonWalkerNBA) July 1, 2014
In 40 games with the Cavaliers, Deng scored 14.3 points per game, got 5.1 rebounds per game and shot 41.7 percent from the floor. His PER last season was 15.22.