Five Free Agent Big Men the Atlanta Hawks Should Pursue
3.
Kevon Looney Big
Warrior Like the Blur Season Highlights
Kevon Looney is a 6’9 220 pound big man, who is best suited as an undersized center. He has spent his entire four years in the NBA, with the Golden State Warriors.
Looney is not a floor spacer, nor does he protect the rim well. However he is a solid rebounder and screen setter. He also a good finisher, making 72 percent of his attempts within the restricted area.
Kevon Looney’s best attribute, is perimeter defense for a big man. He is able to switch the pick and roll and contain smaller guards adequately. This allows him to stay on the floor in fourth quarters, despite his offensive limitations.
Most importantly, Kevon Looney brings championship experience. He has played in 42 playoff games over the last two seasons, starting six. This includes the Warriors 2017-18 championship run.
Kevin Looney displayed great toughness in this year’s NBA Finals, battling through a broken clavicle. Could the Golden State Warriors connections that Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has, lead to Looney relocating to Atlanta?
Contract Offer: 3 years, 7 million per year. 3rd year team option.
2018: PPG:6.3 REB:5.2 APG:1.5 BPG:0.7 STL:0.6 FG%:62.5 2P%:64.1 3P%:10.0 FT%:61.9 PF:2.6
Per 36 Min: PPG:12.2 REB:10.1 APG:3.0 BPG:1.3 STL:1.1 PF:5.1
2.
Maxi Kleber Big
Maxi Kleber is a 6’11 ,240 pound big man out of Germany. He has the ability to play center and power forward. He worked his way into the NBA, after going undrafted in 2014.
The 27-year-old Max Kleber is a below average rebounder. He’s also not the best at defending the perimeter after switches, so he projects to he a backup.
However where Kleber fits the Hawks needs, is floor spacing and rim protection. He he made 77 threes last season, shooting a respectable 35.3 percent from beyond the arch.
Additionally, Max is a good rim protector. He averaged an impressive 1.1 blocks per game, in just 21 minutes of action. Over a per 36 minute basis, he blocks two shots per game.
That combination of rim protection and floor spacing, is a coveted pair of skills in the Atlanta Hawks space oriented offense, making Kleber a great fit. The issue is t,he Dallas Mavericks have been unsuccessful landing major free agents.
Had Dallas landed a big fish, they likely would have needed to withdraw the qualifying offer to Max, to open up cap space. Instead there is a high likelihood that Dallas will match any reasonable offer for him now.