The Summer of Great Expectations Begins July 1
Now that the NBA Draft is over the Atlanta Hawks can concentrate on the most important summer in a long, long time. Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, treasured Hawks, are looking for large paydays and the Hawks have to figure out how much is enough, where the line is, and if they have a Plan B if there is a snag, or worse, a poison pill causing them to pull back and go in another direction.
Of the two players who the Hawks hope to return, Paul Millsap is the most important for the simple fact that it is hard to find a front court player that does everything that Millsap does. He rebounds, scores, shoots the three. He is a leader in the locker room, has a relentless intensity that is infectious to the rest of the team and, frankly, Millsap is the toughest player on the Hawks. Yes, he is undersized but the beautiful thing about Millsap is that he is fully aware of his deficiencies. Millsap once said, “I have to play smarter because I am smaller.”
Mar 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
When he was in Utah, Paul Millsap rebounded and scored in the paint. When he became an Atlanta Hawk, he worked on his perimeter shooting and expanded his game, forcing opponents to guard him on the perimeter. But where Millsap is ridiculously underrated is his court vision. He has an innate talent for seeing the action on the perimeter and then delivering the ball whether he is double teamed or not.
Millsap’s career numbers are 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 50% shooting. According to Hoopsstats.com Paul Millsap was the 5th best power forward in the NBA in 2014-15. The 4 players better than him were Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe. Millsap had the same amount of rebounds as Blake Griffin. He had the second most assists of this group at 3.1 He led all 5 players in this group in steals. But he’s not a shot blocker and turns the ball over a little too much.
So how much is it worth to Atlanta to re-sign him? How much will it take and will Atlanta have a number that will be their line in the sand?
Millsap is 30 years old and this will probably be his last large contract. By all accounts, he is not a $100 million dollar player considering his size. But will the Hawks pay him between $16-18 million a year for a 4 year deal? Does that make financial sense?
The second player the Hawks have to consider is DeMarre Carroll who was the Hawks most consistent player in the playoffs. Carroll is the perfect small forward. He defends and makes open threes. His shooting this season was sensational. 56% on two point shots. 66% on shots 0-3 feet. 47% on shots 3-10 feet. 46% on long two point shots. 40% on three point shots. These were all career highs. The Atlanta Hawks have to figure out if these numbers were indicative of DeMarre Carroll’s growth and maturity or was it a career year he won’t be able to repeat?
Is DeMarre Carroll a $13 million dollar player? According to Hoopsstats.com, Carroll was the 10th best small forward in the 2014-15 season, better than Trevor Ariza, Nic Batum, Luol Deng and Harrison Barnes.
In case the Hawks have to resort to Plan B, these are players the Hawks can take a look at.
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Small Forward: (Unrestricted): Luol Deng, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green, Corey Brewer, Al-Farouq Aminu (Restricted): Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, Tobias Harris, Jae Crowder
Power Forward/Center: (Unrestricted) Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe, Robin Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Tyson Chandler, Ed Davis, Kosta Koufas, David West, Brandon Wright, Omer Asik, Amir Johnson, Jordan Hill (Restricted): Enes Kenter, Bismack Biyombo
No matter how it all shakes out, if the Hawks are able to come to terms with Millsap and Carroll, or if one leaves or one stays, or if the Hawks have to replace both- this summer will be one to remember.