A look at where the Atlanta Hawks roster stands after center Dewayne Dedmon signed with the Sacramento Kings in NBA free agency.
After two productive seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Dewayne Dedmon has signed a lucrative long-term deal in NBA free agency with the Sacramento Kings per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Free agent center Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a three-year, $41M deal with the Sacramento Kings, agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019
Dedmon, who will be 30 years old in August, will serve as a “stretch five” alternative to the outgoing Willie Cauley-Stein on the Kings. With Dedmon in the fold, the Kings have an interesting roster full of shooters and solid defenders, especially after the team’s other signings this offseason of Cory Joseph, Harrison Barnes, Trevor Ariza and Richaun Holmes.
For the Hawks, the team clearly wanted to go in a more youthful direction, and they already have four centers on the roster currently: Alex Len (who will likely be the opening day starter), Omari Spellman, Bruno Fernando and the rarely active Miles Plumlee.
Per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Hawks were not willing to offer Dedmon a long-term contract, meaning the team was probably only willing to give DD a one-year pact, or a two-year deal with a non-guarantee on the second season:
Hawks weren't willing to give Dedmon a long-term deal. Atlanta goes into the season with Alex Len, Omari Spellman, Bruno Fernando and Miles Plumlee as the centers on the roster. https://t.co/DWQIfPtnk1
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) June 30, 2019
With Dedmon on the way out, the Hawks have 14 of 15 roster spots filled, though last year’s backup point guard Jaylen Adams only has a slight guarantee of $100,000 on his deal for this season – meaning he could be waived if the team wanted to be more active in free agency.
That means the Hawks are likely all finished making major moves and will likely only look to add a minimum contract or shore up the team’s backup point guard rotation behind Trae Young.
Of course, the team could prioritize re-signing NBA legend Vince Carter in his final season, especially since it looks like the team will have a sliver of cap space left after the dust settles in NBA free agency.
Dedmon played extremely well for the Atlanta Hawks in his two seasons with the team, and we wish him well with an up-and-coming Sacramento squad!