Free Agent PF Paul Millsap and the Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement in principle to re-sign with the club, TNT’s David Aldridge reports Tuesday evening.
Paul Millsap staying with Hawks on three-year deal for $58 million, per source. Player option for third year.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 1, 2015
The contract makes Millsap a member of the Atlanta Hawks for the next three years at $58 million. The third year in the contract is a player option, meaning there is a possibility that the Hawks will be in this same situation two years from now.
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Paul Millsap has become an integral part of the Atlanta Hawks and Head Coach Mike Budenholzer’s system, averaging 16.7 PPG and 7.8 rebounds per game. He made his second straight appearance in the All-Star Game as a member of the Hawks, and has shown improvement in his three-point shooting ability the last two years.
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Paul Millsap was also courted by the Orlando Magic over the past 24 hours, and took his time in order to make a decision. In the end, continuity and the chance to win a title proved more attractive than the opportunity to join a young and rebuilding Magic squad.
The way Millsap’s new contract is structured benefits the Atlanta Hawks, as with Millsap on the wrong side of 30, the team can re-examine his performance two years from now.
After losing DeMarre Carroll in Free Agency to the Toronto Raptors to the tune of a 5 year, $60 million deal, it was imperative that the Atlanta Hawks re-signed Millsap to retain most of the core that led them to 60 wins and an Eastern Conference Finals Appearance last season.
Earlier in the day, the Atlanta Hawks also acquired San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter, increasing front-court depth to the club and giving Mike Budenholzer more line-up possibilities. It will be intriguing to see the impact Splitter has when playing with both Horford and Millsap, whose size advantage will benefit the Atlanta Hawks greatly.
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Now that Paul Millsap has been re-signed, the Atlanta Hawks are tasked with addressing the loss of Carroll at the wing while dealing with their lack of remaining cap space. Carroll’s offensive and defensive contributions will be missed, but if Thabo Sefolosha can fully recover from his injuries, the Atlanta Hawks still look improved next season despite the loss of Carroll.
After a flurry of moves on the first day of the NBA Free Agency period, the Atlanta Hawks most certainly are not done building their team for the coming season. Keep it here for updates on the Atlanta Hawks and NBA Free Agency.
Next: Atlanta Hawks Trade for Splitter, Lose Carroll to Raptors
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