What Should The Hawks Do With Kent Bazemore’s Contract?
The forward has struggled with injuries and is an awkward fit with the Hawks timeline. Does he have a place on the team?
Two years ago, Atlanta Hawks small forward Kent Bazemore signed a four-year, 70 million dollar contract.
The extension came after Bazemore played in 75 games during the 2015-16 season which saw him average almost 12 points a game.
Bazemore’s extension seemed to indicate that the Hawks thought he was a developing player who fit into their long-term plans.
Since the extension started though, Bazemore hasn’t been able to take his game to the next level. His scoring average actually dropped in the 2016-17 season, and he only shot 41% from the field.
Although his numbers increased this season, he only played in 65 games after suffering a season-ending injury.
Availability has been Bazemore’s biggest issue, considering he hasn’t played a full season since he entered the league.
His injuries allowed the Hawks to play some of their younger players, but the team likely expected more when they resigned Bazemore. He carries a cap hit of $18 million next year, and will most likely accept his player option for the 2019 season.
In total, the Hawks will be paying Bazemore close to $40 million over the next two seasons. If you looked at his stats and games played, would anyone feel comfortable arguing that he’s worth that much money?
How does Bazemore’s contract compare to similar players?
When looking at the contracts for small forwards, Bazemore ranks 12th in average salary. There are plenty of stars ahead of him like Giannis and LeBron, but also guys like Luol Deng and Carmelo Anthony.
That is part of the issue when assessing Bazemore’s contract and how he fits in the current NBA landscape.
I find it hard to believe that most general managers would prefer Carmelo at $24 million versus Bazemore at $17 million.
On the other hand, though, Bazemore is making more money than Joe Ingles, Khris Middleton, and Robert Covington.
Although Ingles would never be considered a star, he’s only missed 4 games in the past four years.
He’s also making $4.5 million less than Bazemore per season, which seems like a steal for someone starting for a playoff team.
Middleton missed most of last season with an injury, but returned to start every game this season and scored 20 points a game.
Middleton is likely one of the reasons the Hawks extended Bazemore, but so far he hasn’t been able to match Middleton’s production.
Covington has also struggled with availability issues, but he’s a strong defender. He’ll also only be making $11 million a year on his new contract.
If you asked a die-hard NBA fan if they’d prefer Bazemore or Covington, who do you think they’d choose?
Would anyone be willing to trade for Bazemore?
One of the Hawk’s main issues is that their team is extremely young and they’re in a rebuilding phase.
John Collins is 20, Taurean Prince is 24, and Dennis Schröder is 24. These three players will be joined by another young player after the NBA Draft.
Bazemore is already 28 and will be 29 by the time the season starts. His age and contract basically go against every aspect of the rebuilding process.
The other players mentioned above are still years away from their primes. The main question is if a team would be willing to take on Bazemore’s contract and what they’d send back.
Is the most logical option a team sending over a younger player on an expiring contract for Bazemore?
The financial details might make that tricky, but the Hawks might have to include a second-round pick in any deal. One option would be Portland, who has several long-term salaries and might want to shed bench players this offseason.
Could the Hawks get a fair deal out of them though? That’s hard to say.
I’m interested to see how the Hawks handle this situation, and if Bazemore ends up getting shipped out.
Let us know in the comments if you have any trade packages you’d like the Hawks to get for Bazemore.