An in-depth look at 12 players (including one honorable mention) the Atlanta Hawks could look to sign in free agency this offseason.
With the Atlanta Hawks playing their final game of the regular season on Wednesday, this is a bittersweet time of the year for Hawks fans. Though we won’t be able to watch our team play until July’s Summer League and then the preseason in September, this offseason will be one of the biggest in franchise history.
Perhaps most notable is June’s NBA Draft, with its draft lottery preceding it being maybe the most important to all teams with a chance to land the #1 overall pick. Seeing as the prize is Zion Williamson, one of the best prospects in recent history, there’s no wonder that teams such as the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns have been tanking hard all year.
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Of course, the draft is not the only way to obtain new players. The free agency window opens on July 1st, and before that happens, rampant tampering has occurred among big-name players that want to team up. Who knows, maybe the Atlanta Hawks will be able to land one of those big-name free agents to boot!
Even if they don’t (which is the more likely scenario), there are a multitude of interesting players that will be available on the free agent market this offseason – beyond incumbent lovable Hawks that the team should re-sign immediately (namely Justin Anderson and Vince Carter).
After taking a look at some restricted free agents the Hawks should be interested in as well as those big-name players, let’s explore a lengthy list of 11 players and one honorable mention that the Atlanta Hawks should look to target in free agency.
Honorable Mention: Ivan Rabb
Ivan Rabb of the Memphis Grizzlies has a club option worth $1.6 million in the 2019-20 season per Spotrac, which the Grizzlies are very likely to pick up. Rabb has played a total of 82 games for the Grizz in two seasons, and he has averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14 minutes a game.
Clearly a bench role player at this point in his career, Rabb has good size (6-foot-10, 220 pounds) and length (7-foot-2 wingspan, 9-foot-1 standing reach) and he has split his duties nearly 50/50 at the power forward and center positions.
Rabb is a solid play finisher around the rim, and he has also flashed some defensive upside at times. His raw defensive rating via Basketball Reference of 109 would’ve given him a share of the lead in that category had he been a member of the Atlanta Hawks – tied with Dewayne Dedmon.
Beyond that, Rabb fits the Atlanta Hawks’ mold of youth and upside as he is still only 22 years old and won’t turn 23 until February of 2020.
Lastly, Rabb has shown at least a passing fancy in stepping out to the three-point line this season, and he has attempted 13 three-pointers in his second year in the league (after trying zero in his rookie season). If there’s one thing the Atlanta Hawks organization can reliably do, it’s turn big men into reliable three-point shooters: Just look at the success stories of Dewayne Dedmon and Alex Len in consecutive seasons.
Though Rabb will likely remain a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, if they cut him loose, the Hawks should look to sign him.
Justin Patton
As has already been explored elsewhere, the Atlanta Hawks would do well to sign Justin Patton, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers, as soon as possible.
Patton was recently cut loose from Philly in favor of grizzled journeyman Greg Monroe, who will look to act as a mole for the 76ers after playing with all three of the Raptors, Bucks and Celtics over the past 1½ seasons.
With gamesmanship on the mind, Patton was a casualty of the move. Whatever team picks him up will have an interesting high-upside big man to contend with, and the Atlanta Hawks should definitely be involved in the discussions.
Patton has legitimate center size with a burly 7-foot-tall frame and a plus wingspan. Though he hasn’t been able to showcase his skills very much in two star-crossed seasons with playoff-bound teams, the Atlanta Hawks will likely be able to give him a long-term home at the center spot – assuming Dewayne Dedmon leaves in free agency after two very productive years in Atlanta.
Patton will turn 22 this offseason, but that still fits the youth-oriented timeline that the Hawks are operating under. A former lottery pick with high upside, Patton has both the pedigree and physical profile to be a difference-maker for this Hawks team at the center spot going forward.
Kevon Looney
Kevon Looney of the reigning champion Golden State Warriors will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which means that the Warriors will not be able to match any offer sheet he gets in restricted free agency.
With that being the case, this is a good opportunity for any team in the NBA to steal away one of the more important role players on this year’s Warriors squad. Looney’s role has been elevated this season as the team’s backup (and sometimes starting center).
Looney has played 90 percent of his minutes at center this year, per Basketball Reference, and despite being only 6-foot-9, Looney has an excellent 7-foot-4 wingspan, and he has ample experience with the Warriors playing at the five in extremely high-leverage situations.
Looney would be an exceptional fit going forward on the Atlanta Hawks, and the team should make him a priority at the center position this offseason. Acquiring Warriors players might be more realistic than any others in the offseason due to GM Travis Schlenk’s history as an assistant in Golden State.
At 23 years old, Looney would certainly fit into the team’s youthful roster, and he would likely be able to do a bit more on both ends on a team that needs an influx of talent at all positions in order to surround Trae Young with more skilled players.
Jordan Bell
Once again, nabbing an uber-athletic Warriors big man would be a two-fold coup. First, weakening the Warriors’ coffers for future title runs is fairly appetizing, and second, obtaining a high-upside player like Jordan Bell is criminally under-utilized in Golden State would be another major win.
Bell, who was recently suspended for charging something to Mike Brown’s credit card in a hotel room (the less said the better), is an extremely talented former Oregon teammate of former Hawk Tyler Dorsey. He has shown many flashes of skill during his two seasons and notably threw an off-the-backboard alley-oop to himself in his rookie year, which Steve Kerr did not like one bit:
By most conceivable statistical measurements, Bell has had something of a down year. After screaming out of the gate with some strikingly athletic plays on both ends in his rookie season, Bell seems to be suffering from a seismic sophomore slump that should see his price tag falter considerably this offseason in restricted free agency.
As such, the Atlanta Hawks should overpay slightly in order to force Golden State’s hand. With the Warriors likely in a salary cap quandary going forward – even if Kevin Durant leaves – it seems unlikely that they’ll want to spend decent money on a second-year player that its coach isn’t a big fan of.
If that’s the case, the Hawks could benefit in a big way.
Mike Muscala
The return of the Musk? It’s more realistic than you think.
Though Atlanta Hawks legend Mike Muscala has mostly been a punchline this season for two notable teams (the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers), Hawks fans remember him as the steady if not spectacular backup big man that could step out and knock down threes while also providing a semblance of rim protection.
After what was his best season last year in Atlanta, Muscala suffered through two nightmare campaigns in Philly and L.A. in which fans immediately turned on him due to him missing shots and seemingly looking a bit lost out there at times.
While it will likely be unlikely, re-signing Mike Muscala to an inexpensive deal would bring a smile to this writer’s face. He might not be the best player in the world, but he was drafted by the Hawks many seasons ago, so why not bring him home for some clutch three-pointers and light rim protection?
Sure, many big-market teams might only know him as this year’s punching bag, but Hawks fans remember him as the clutch, galumphing big man who could spot up from deep if necessary in crunch time:
Christian Wood
After being bounced back and forth between the Milwaukee Bucks and the G-League’s Wisonsin Herd, third-year player Christian Wood was waived by Milwaukee and promptly picked up by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In only 6 games with the Pels, Wood has played extraordinarily well off the bench. He has split his time nearly 50/50 between the power forward and center spots while with the Pels, and he has produced some stellar numbers over those six games.
Not to suffer from Doc Rivers’ GM syndrome, but one of his best games came in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, when he was stuffing down dunks with ease, snuffing out shots around the rim and generally impacting the game in a multitude of ways. He finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks:
Wood is averaging 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.2 steals and 1.0 assists in 21.8 minutes per game with the Pelicans, which is good enough for a supremely high 27.0 player efficiency rating and a career-high 0.6 win shares. Remember, he has done all this damage in only 6 games played!
With a lanky 6-foot-10 frame and a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Wood would be able to slot into a role as rim protector and helpside shot blocker for this Atlanta Hawks team that desperately needs defensive help going forward.
Malcolm Brogdon
As the best team in the NBA this season, the Milwaukee Bucks will likely be looking to retain the team’s best and most important players for the foreseeable future – depending on how well they do in the postseason, at least.
One of their most important players, Malcolm Brogdon, has missed nearly a month straight and will be out indefinitely as the team hurtles toward the Eastern Conference playoffs. Brogdon, the stoic and steady two guard for Milwaukee is an extremely clutch shooter and his mistake-free stewardship of the team’s offense as well as competitive defense, makes him a linchpin of this Coach Budenholzer-led squad.
It seems likely that the Bucks will look to match any offer sheet that Brogdon gets this offseason in restricted free agency, or completely bypass any offers with a strong hometown deal of their own.
If they don’t, the Atlanta Hawks should prioritize signing Brogdon to help aid Trae Young’s defensive deficiencies and provide flawless backup point guard play when Ice Trae is out of the game.
With upwards of $50 million in cap space, will the Atlanta Hawks be willing to overpay for a backup point guard in order to outbid the Bucks for Brodgon’s services? Only time will tell.
Kelly Oubre
Technically, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Kelly Oubre with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, his Hawks tenure was fated to be immediately cut short, as he was traded to the Washington Wizards on draft night in a three-team deal that sent Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Knicks.
Though Hardaway played well in roughly two seasons with the Hawks, it would’ve probably been preferable to hold on to a cost-controlled young asset in Oubre, who also happens to be one of the best-looking players in the NBA (not that that matters, just stating a fact).
This season, Oubre was part of the hilariously botched three-team deal between the Suns, Wizards and Grizzlies that was nixed due to the wrong Brooks being involved (Marshon Brooks versus Dillon Brooks). Instead, Oubre was later sent to the Suns in exchange for Trevor Ariza – an odd win-now move that was one of the nigh-infinite reasons why Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld was let go recently.
Still though, Oubre picked up his play considerably in Phoenix and heads into the offseason as a restricted free agent coming off the best season of his career. Oubre’s energy was always fairly pugnacious and frenetic as a bench sparkplug for the Wiz, but he seemed to kick into high gear in Phoenix.
Oubre put up career-highs this season with the Wiz and Suns of points per game (15.2), rebounds per game (4.7), assists per game (1.2) and blocks per game (0.9) – good timing as he heads into restricted free agency. Though he’ll likely garner a sizable contract due to playing a position of need and putting up solid numbers this season, perhaps the Hawks will be able to convince him to return to the team that drafted him in 2015.
Boban Marjanovic
This is the one free agent that this writer wants the Atlanta Hawks to sign more than anyone else. Though he can hardly run and his vertical leap is barely higher than a dog-eared paperback copy of War & Peace, Boban Marjanovic is among the most lovable players in the NBA.
Beyond that, his scoring efficiency and ability to accrue double-doubles in the matter of 10 minutes or less is a singular feat in today’s NBA. As the tallest and heaviest player in the NBA, Boban is a true delight and though the modern NBA isn’t particularly kind to plodding, back-to-the-basket centers, Marjanovic is so talented at that specific role that there’s still a place for him on an uber-modern team like these Atlanta Hawks.
What do the Hawks sorely lack? Defense – and specifically interior defense. Boban is so vast in the lane with his 7-foot-10 wingspan and 9-foot-7 standing reach that the Hawks would immediately become a better rim-protecting team, even if Boban’s 3.2 percent career block rate is not particularly earth-shattering.
What is earth-shattering, however, is his career 26.3 player efficiency rating, which is just an absolutely absurd number for a slow-of-foot big man in today’s NBA.
Boban is the absolute best, and any player that can dunk while one foot is still on the ground sounds like a player worth watching on the Atlanta Hawks.
Nerlens Noel
Speaking of defense, wouldn’t it behoove the Hawks to sign a player whose two nicknames listed on Basketball Reference are “The Eraser” and “The Nerlen Wall?” There’s no question that Nerlens Noel would be a defensive upgrade at the backup (or even starting) center spot on the Atlanta Hawks.
Noel has a history with rebuilding teams, as he is one of the premier draft picks that the Philadelphia 76ers selected during the beloved Process era. In his career, Noel has accumulated 16.5 career win shares, and more than ¾ of those have come via defensive win shares at 12.3.
So far this season, on one of the best defenses in the entire league in Oklahoma City, he has nabbed a career-high 4.2 defensive win shares. Noel is producing a sterling 7.6 percent block rate this season, which would qualify as second in the entire league if he had played more than 1022 minutes. Similarly, if he qualified, Noel’s steal percentage of 3.0 would be second in the entire league – an absurd feat for a hulking 6-foot-11 center. Finally, Noel’s 2.3 Defensive Player Impact/Plus Minus per BBall Index is the highest on the entire Thunder team – a team that also features noted lockdown defender Paul George among its ranks.
Though Noel will turn 25 on April 10, he is still young enough to be a part of this young Atlanta Hawks core that will be fun to watch as they improve and grow together.
Depending on what the Hawks do in the draft, Noel should be high on the team’s free agency wish list. Note: Noel does have a player option for $1.9 million next year, but one would imagine he could do better than that on the open market.
Ivica Zubac
Ivica Zubac was surprisingly traded ahead of the trade deadline in February. It was such a surprising move that LA Clippers advisor Jerry West (The Logo) recently admitted that he and other members of Clippers brass “laughed” at the Lakers for giving up a talented young player like Zubac.
Only 22 years old, Zubac has plenty of untapped upside and his 7-foot-1, 240-pound frame would make for an excellent defensive addition for the Atlanta Hawks frontcourt of the future. With John Collins a clearly entrenched member of the team, a better rim-protecting center is needed alongside him.
Though not an elite rim protector, all that size at the five would serve as a deterrent, and his 3.9 percent block rate would be 20th in the NBA if he had logged more minutes this season.
One wrinkle: Zubac is a restricted free agent, meaning that the LA Clippers can match whatever offer a team would make on the big man. This offseason will likely be extremely important for the Clippers as well, since they’ll be looking to add major names via free agency (Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant) as well as via trade (Anthony Davis).
Who knows if Zubac will be brought back as a high-upside young backup big, or if he’ll be retained as another enticing trade piece. We shall see, but either way, the Atlanta Hawks should at least make an offer on the Bosnia & Herzegovina native.
Noah Vonleh
23-year-old Noah Vonleh, the former 9th overall pick of the Charlotte Hornets, was looking like he might not be able to stick around in the league after a star-crossed first 4 seasons.
Vonleh bounced around from Charlotte in his first year to the Portland Trail Blazers in his second and third before being traded to the Bulls in his third year. This year, with the New York Knicks, Vonleh seemed to put it together in a major way.
Vonleh produced career-highs across the board in all major categories: Points per game (8.4), rebounds per game (7.8), assists per game (1.9), steals per game (0.7) and blocks per game (0.8), while playing a career-high 25.3 minutes per game – for another career-high of 1722. Vonleh slashed 47/34/71 in terms of his shooting, and his 56.1 percent true shooting percentage was easily a career-high.
Vonleh’s ripped physique and burly frame (6-foot-9, 250 pounds) combined with his quick feet and ability to defend in space means he can guard a variety of players – though he mostly split his time between power forward and center.
Despite being in the league for 5 seasons, Vonleh will only be 24 next year – meaning he would fit into the Atlanta Hawks plan of youth-oriented rebuilding. As an unrestricted free agent, it is likely that many teams will look into signing Vonleh to a reasonable deal.
Furkan Korkmaz
Furkan Korkmaz of the Philadelphia 76ers played solid minutes for his team in his second year in the league, before tearing his meniscus in February, which ended his season.
Before that unfortunate injury, Korkmaz was showcasing a surprising breadth of skills, including creation off the dribble and decent passing. Though Korkmaz’s calling card is his shooting skill, he was never quite able to get his feet under him fully on his jumper, leading to a subpar 33 percent clip from beyond the arc for the season.
Despite that, he was able to drop a 40-burger in Summer League, so there’s that:
At 6-foot-7 but with a fairly thin frame (190 pounds) Korkmaz split his time between the two guard, small forward and power forward spots, though he was primarily employed as a three by the Sixers. If the Atlanta Hawks were to take an interest in him this offseason, that is likely where he would be deployed by Lloyd Pierce as well.
With good size and length and the ability to create shots and make plays with the ball in his hands, Korkmaz would likely be given a fair run with an Atlanta team that tends to rely on only a few players to reliably create offense.
So there you have it! Are there any other plays you’d prioritize? What about anyone we missed? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading! As always, stay tuned to Soaring Down South for plenty more offseason coverage of your Atlanta Hawks.