Five Free Agent Big Men the Atlanta Hawks Should Pursue
The free agent frenzy has begun. While money is flying around left and right, the Atlanta Hawks are expected to wait until the market calms down. Here are five free agent big men, that the team should pursue once the dust settles.
Free agency rumors abound, as the NBA free agent signing period officially opened for business on June 30 at 6PM. Fans of the Atlanta Hawks and NBA teams around the world, are frantically scanning social media and searching the internet, for news about who their team might be signing.
The Atlanta Hawks are not expected to be huge players in this year’s market, to the chagrin of some fans. Chris Vivlamore of the AJC wrote about Atlanta’s patience. He reminds us in the article, that the Atlanta Hawks biggest signings, Alex Len and Vince Carter did not occur until after July 21 last offseason.
Justin Anderson who was acquired in the Dennis Schröder trade, is likely to be seeking a new home. The team declined to extend a qualifying offer to the defensive minded wing according to Chris Vivlamore of the AJC. He was made expendable by the drafting of Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter, as well as the trade for Allen Crabbe.
Dewayne Dedmon and Vince Carter are the free agents that Atlanta Hawks fans most want to keep. A decision by Carter and on Carter probably won’t be made until late July at the earliest.
Dewayne Dedmon on the other hand, is finally garnering some internet around the NBA. Dave Carmichael of KHTC Sports 1140 in Sacramento is reporting that the Kings and Dedmon have a strong mutual interest.
Interest between the Sacramento Kings and free agent center Dewayne Dedmon is mutual, and strong.
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) June 30, 2019
Nothing set yet, but there is confidence on both sides.
Expect a resolution tomorrow.
Dewayne Dedmon started 98 of the 126 games that he has played in Atlanta, over the past two seasons. He is an all around player who filled up the stat sheet, with totals of 10.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 1.1 steals and 1.4 assists. He also knocked down 38.2 percent of his threes.
If Dedmon is indeed on the way out, he will be missed. However the Atlanta Hawks seem unlikely to sign him for more than two years, due to the desire to maintain cap flexibility. Since a Dedmon departure seems likely, the Atlanta Hawks should have a conversation with the following big men.
Update Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a three-year contract with the Sacramento Kings:
Free agent center Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a three-year, $41M deal with the Sacramento Kings, agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019