With the Atlanta Hawks set for an extremely impactful offseason, let’s take a look at 6 veterans the team could sign when free agency hits.
The Atlanta Hawks great outperformed expectations in the 2018-19 season. After many analysts pegged them as one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Hawks casually went out and won 5 more games than they did in the 2017-18 season – which still featured lauded Coach of the Year candidate Mike Budenholzer at the helm.
This year, the Atlanta Hawks were a joy to watch. With a deserving co-Rookie of the Year in Trae Young, a stunning second season from John Collins and the excellent first season for head coach Lloyd Pierce, the 2018-19 were far more competitive than they had any right to be.
With that in mind, perhaps the team’s rebuild could be sped up next season, with Trae Young delivering a rock-solid offense single-handedly when he was on the court – as his offensive numbers conveyed during the season.
Due to that improvement, perhaps the Atlanta Hawks could opt to sign a few veterans that could improve the team’s locker room while also providing defensive upgrades and general mistake-free play – which would aid a young Hawks team that was dead last in turnover rate on offense with a sky-high 16.4 percent per Cleaning the Glass.
Read on to take a look at 6 free agents the Hawks should consider when free agency rolls around.
Paul Millsap
We have already covered the potential return of The Anchorman to the Atlanta Hawks in a recent story, but the point still holds. Also, reading a terrific SB Nation piece by Michael Pina about Millsap’s importance to his current team, the Denver Nuggets, has me feeling somewhat nostalgic.
Other than my feelings, the on-court fit of Millsap on the Atlanta Hawks would be terrific.
An absolutely masterful defensive player, Millsap could provide the defensive lift the Atlanta Hawks need across the board – though his fit with John Collins would be less than ideal. Bringing on Millsap would mean that Collins would likely have to slide over the five or Millsap would have to revert to being a three – neither of which is an ideal move.
However, if Millsap returned his defensive acumen would likely help buoy an Atlanta Hawks team that was putrid on that end, and he could bring his amazing ability to force steals as well as a clutch scoring ability and his penchant for nabbing rebounds in big moments back to the team that he helped lead to an incredible 60-win season in 2014-15.
It must be noted that Millsap has a team option worth upwards of $30 million next year with the Nuggets per Spotrac. Though that’s a huge sum, he is extremely important for the second-seeded team in the West, so letting him go would be a big risk. Watch this space for developments on that front.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanovic and the Indiana Pacers are currently locked in a tight battle with the Boston Celtics, who held their ground at home despite a strong Game 2 from Indiana.
Bogdanovic was the Pacers’ leading scorer in that game with 23 points. He also added 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists and shot a nice 4 of 8 from downtown.
Bogey has vastly improved as a defender during his time with the Pacers, as head coach Nate McMillan has instilled a strong defensive mindset into Bogdanovic. For his part, Bojan has also noticeably bulked up – and he uses his heft and length to really make a difference on the less glamorous end.
Couple that with dead-eye three-point marksmanship, and you have the makings of a player that would be an excellent fit on the Atlanta Hawks. Bogey produced a career-high 42.3 percent clip from downtown this season per Cleaning the Glass, but from the corner, he shot an absurd 52 percent, which would greatly aid an Atlanta Hawks offense that made over 1000 triples during the 2018-19 season.
Though Bojan only shot from the corner 11 percent of the time per Cleaning the Glass, which was in the 43rd percentile among small forwards, the Pacers don’t have the interior threats (sans Victor Oladipo) that the Atlanta Hawks do with Trae Young and John Collins constantly scoring at the rim.
With Taurean Prince’s Atlanta Hawks future uncertain past the 2019-20 season, Bogey could serve as a serviceable stopgap option at the three for this team.
Patrick Beverley
Though a hated villain in many cities – notably Oklahoma City, where his running for a loose ball ended Russell Westbrook’s season in the 2013 Playoffs – Patrick Beverley would make for an exceptional fit on the Atlanta Hawks next season.
An unrestricted free agent, Beverley is coming off a terrific season with the LA Clippers in which he served as an emotional leader for the team and tone-setter on defense. Though the Atlanta Hawks already have their point guard of the future in Trae Young, Beverley would be a premier option at backup point guard coming off the bench to clamp down on the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
In the Playoffs, Beverley has guarded Kevin Durant very effectively, almost taking him out of the Clips/Warriors series in Game 2:
Beyond that, Beverley is a two-time All-Defensive Team member (one second team, one first team), and he has a career steal rate of 2.1 percent.
This year, Beverley’s block rate of 0.9 percent was in the 88th percentile among point guards per Cleaning the Glass. He also grades out in the upper 80s of percentiles in offensive and defensive rebounding for guards.
Beverley is your consummate energy guy that focuses on defense but can also hit an open corner three when the need arises and he would make for a perfect fit on the Atlanta Hawks.
Iman Shumpert
NBA champion Iman Shumpert was an important part of the Sacramento Kings team that started strong and captivated much of the NBA for a time before the team fell back to earth a bit down the end of the season.
Shump was also traded mid-season in a three-team deal between the Kings, Cavs and Rockets – the latter of which being the team he ended up on. His stats dipped noticeably when he joined Houston, as his lack of a consistent outside shot doesn’t particularly mesh with the threes and layups offense that Mike D’Antoni runs.
Despite that, Shump proved that he can coexist with a young squad like the Kings, which means that he should be able to join up with a youthful team like the Hawks as well. Shumpert seemed to preach defense and helped set a tone as one of Sacremento’s starters, even if his numbers weren’t particularly brilliant.
Shumpert could be brought in as an energy guy and defensive backcourt upgrade that the Hawks desperately need off the bench due to Trae’s porous work on the less glamorous end.
Beyond that, Shump went to Georgia Tech, so he could return to the city from which he was drafted back in 2011.
Ed Davis
The center position is rapidly changing in the NBA. With plodding, ground-bound centers being rapidly ostracized in favor of switchy, long rim-runners that can switch on the perimeter, it’s “adapt or die” for any big man – that isn’t already signed to a wildly massive contract (Ian Mahinmi, Timofey Mozgov, Bismack Biyombo, Miles Plumlee, etc.).
One such player that has played quite well despite a lack of perimeter skill is Ed Davis of the Brooklyn Nets. Davis is a brilliant rebounder who has a nose for the ball – as his career 18.7 rebound rate would attest.
Beyond that, Davis accrued 216 offensive boards this season for the Nets, which was 15th in the NBA, and he was able to score at a career-high 61.6 clip from the field along with a 63.2 percent true shooting percentage, which was also a career-high.
Davis is bulky but lithe, and he has good length to affect shots around the rim, which is also something that the Atlanta Hawks desperately need.
Though entrenched big man John Collins is clearly the option for the future, perhaps the signing of Davis could help Collins unlock some of his skills as a rising shot-blocker and rim protector while also doubling down on his already-brilliant rebounding ability.
Klay Thompson
How about it, Klay? Sure, it seems unlikely that Klay Thompson would want to leave a championship factory like the Warriors, but who knows? If this clip from 60 Minutes is any indication, perhaps Klay is a bit tired of the antics of this dynastic team:
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating, what do the Atlanta Hawks need? Defensive help in the backcourt and better shooters. If Klay does decide that he’s had enough in Golden State, the Atlanta Hawks should do everything in their power to lure him to Atlanta alongside Trae Young and John Collins.
Klay would seamlessly fit on literally any team in the NBA, so the Hawks must make an impact with their pitch revolving around the team’s young talent in order to convince Klay to sign up.
Again, this is all hypothetical, as everything that Thompson has said in interviews makes it seem like he intends to stay with the Warriors for the duration of his career. However, if they stumble earlier than expected in the playoffs and Klay gets tired of the media circus surrounding the team, the Atlanta Hawks should position themselves as the most attractive fallback option.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for plenty more Atlanta Hawks news on Soaring Down South.