Should the Atlanta Hawks re-sign Paul Millsap?
Alright, it’s time to finally rip the band-aid off and ask the question. Should the Atlanta Hawks try to keep Paul Millsap?
Paul Millsap has been an Atlanta Hawks main stay for the last four seasons, and with his impending free agency looming, the Hawks and Millsap need to take a long look in the mirror.
First, we’ll start with Paul’s side of things. Paul Millsap played arguably the best season of his career in 2016-17 and earned his fourth All-Star bid, all with the Hawks.
He and Dennis Schroder are the only major contributors from the 2014-15 60-win team still with the Hawks. Dennis has found star power as of late and looks to be a key cog in Atlanta’s future.
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Millsap, on the other hand, is closing in on his 33rd birthday, and his window towards being the final puzzle piece on a championship team may already be closed.
To be blunt, Atlanta is nowhere near title contention, and by the time they are, Millsap will too old to contribute.
So for Millsap’s sake, he might want to look at his friends in Boston with Al Horford and Cleveland with Kyle Korver and join the ring chasing bus.
I know as an Atlanta fan who owns a Millsap jersey, I would give anything to see him win a ring here in Atlanta, but that’s just not realistic. Also, the recent management reshuffling reports have to have him questioning the stability of the Hawks as a franchise.
Now for Atlanta’s point of view.
A Paul Millsap max contract doesn’t seem like that bad of an investment right now. He has played the best basketball of his career in Atlanta and has given the city something to cheer about.
However, such a massive deal would be extremely shortsighted. The Atlanta Hawks have found a way to add young talent that has a promising future, and having veterans around to mentor them is extremely useful. Picture Kevin Garnett during his season with Karl-Anthony Towns.
But such a thing should not cost a max contract. Let’s say Dennis capitalizes on his stellar postseason and turns into a perennial All-Star with Taurean Prince turning into “Diet Kawhi Leonard“.
In this situation, Atlanta might be one piece away from being a championship contender like the Boston Celtics are now. Do they want a massive contract limiting them from signing a Paul George type player to take them over the top? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Next: Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 Season Review: Taurean Prince
Paul Millsap has been the Hawks’ centerpiece for years and for his and Atlanta’s sake, he deserves to find a new home.