Five Free Agent Big Men the Atlanta Hawks Should Pursue
1.
Boban Marjanovic Center
Boban Marjanovic is the biggest player in the NBA. He towers 7’3″ tall and weighs 290 pounds. That makes him the heaviest player in the NBA by five pounds over Zion Williamson.
Boban is a massive human being. He can dunk the basketball without jumping. However Marjanovic also does have moves and decent footwork inside. He has a good basketball IQ.
Boban passes the ball very well. He often toys with his opponents, by palming the basketball high over their heads, before dropping it off to a cutting teammate.
Defensively Boban moves pretty well for a giant, but he can not be counted on as a switch defender in the pick and roll. He doesn’t block many shots, because he’s not overly mobile, yet his size alone is a deterrent for opponents inside, as a drop defender.
Boban Marjanovic played a career high 13.8 minutes per game this season, resulting in career highs in points, rebounds and assists. However with his size and the way teams like to go small and force switches, it’s hard to find major minutes for him.
To use football terminology, Boban would be a change of pace type player for the Atlanta Hawks. A piece that allows the Hawks to go with a huge lineup, to build a wall inside against the NBA’s top bigs.
Boban would give Atlanta that roster versatility to be able to match up with anyone. They already have a potentially explosive small ball lineup on paper.
When it comes to stretching the floor, Boban has only attempted 20 career three-point shots. Yet he has made 40 percent of those attempts. He’s also a career 77% free throw shooter, giving hope that the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff could extend Marjanovic’s shooting range beyond the arch.
The other element that Boban Marjanovic brings is fun. He is an animated player that has hilarious celebrations. He can often be found dancing before games, during timeouts, or on his social media pages.
Boban would find himself becoming a huge fan favorite, if signed here. Think of Zaza Pachulia times ten! Marjanovic made seven million dollars last season, so Philadelphia may not be able to meet his asking price, after signing former Atlanta Hawks big man Al Horford.
Contract Offer: 3 Years, 7.5 million per year, team option year three
2018: PPG:7.3 REB:4.6 APG:0.9 BPG:0.5 STL:0.3 FG%:61.5 2P%:62.4 3P%:40 FT%:74.8 PF:1.6
Per 36 Min: PPG:21.9 REB:12.3 APG:3.8 BPG:1.0 STL:0.7 PF:6.2
Now that Dewayne Dedmon has departed for Sacramento, adding another big man to the roster for depth is a true necessity. The Atlanta Hawks have about 13 million dollars left in salary cap space remaining, with a path to get to 15 million.
The funds are definitely available for the Atlanta Hawks to take at shot at one of these possible rotation level big men. The team would be wise to not commit to anything beyond two years though.
The 2021 free agency class, is loaded with major stars and the Atlanta Hawks are slated to have the space to sign two players to maximum contracts. If the Atlanta Hawks can pull of such a feat, they could then extend stars John Collins and Trae Young, to form a young Super Team.
Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young and Cam Reddish Will Unlock Each Other’s Games. light. Must Read
So exercise patience Atlanta Hawks fans. Take notes as the surgeon Travis Schlenk, continues to masterfully build a championship contending team. He is building a team that will have sustainable long-term success and it is certainly a sight to see unfold before our very eyes.