Atlanta Hawks: Luke Kornet Would Be Nifty Pickup This Offseason
By Chris Guest
Let’s take a look at one of the best fits in free agency for the Atlanta Hawks.
With 2019 NBA free agency looming, the Atlanta Hawks are sitting with relatively little cap space. The team is technically already above the salary cap per Spotrac, but they have roughly $12.7 million remaining until they hit the tax threshold – which they most certainly will not creep over.
Of course, after the 2019-20 season, the team will have an absolute glut of cap space due to the contracts of the recently acquired Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe and Solomon Hill coming off the books in addition to Miles Plumlee’s deal.
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With that in mind, the Hawks will likely only have one or two remaining roster spots left depending on if the team re-signs Dewayne Dedmon to a reasonable deal. If they don’t, there is ready-made replacement that could bring a somewhat similar skill set to the team in a much younger package.
That’s right, the Atlanta Hawks should definitely ponder signing Luke Kornet, previously of the New York Knicks, in free agency.
Per a recent report from Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, the Knicks did not extend a qualifying offer to Kornet, which means that he will be an unrestricted free agent. The UniKornet would make for a terrific fit on the Atlanta Hawks as his combination of shot-blocking and three-point shooting are unique attributes for a 7-foot-1 big man.
Kornet holds the distinction of being one of only two players in NBA history to play over 300 minutes while logging a three-point attempt rate higher than 60 percent and a block percentage higher than 4 percent per Basketball Reference. The other player? Brook Lopez last season. It must be noted that Kornet has achieved the feat in each of his first two seasons.
Sure, his penchant for bombing long-range shots means his two-point percentage is less than ideal (42.6 percent in his career, including 40.7 percent last season per Cleaning the Glass – in the lowly 2nd percentile among big men), but the Atlanta Hawks are clearly prioritizing a spaced-out offense, which Kornet could definitely contribute to.
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Kornet will likely not demand much on the free agent market, so the team would do well to obtain a stretch five that will still only be 24 next season – matching the Atlanta Hawks timeline neatly.