Atlanta Hawks: Vince Carter Likely Not Returning for 2019-20 Season
By Chris Guest
A peek into the sad truth that the Atlanta Hawks will likely not retain the services of 21-year NBA veteran Vince Carter in his final season.
When the news broke that Vince Carter would be signing with the Atlanta Hawks last offseason, many people – including we at SDS – were extremely excited.
Though the Hawks were nowhere near contention and the team was in the first “full” year of its rebuild under a new head coach and second-year General Manager Travis Schlenk, Carter was one of the few players that actually chose to join the team in free agency.
The Hawks do not have a strong track record of signing free agents, so Carter opting to suit up in Atlanta was certainly a promising sign regarding the future of the team. If Carter wanted to help the young guns grow and learn, then surely other veterans would want to follow in his well-trodden footsteps?
Who knows exactly what the future will bring for the Hawks in future free agency periods, including a stacked class in 2021, when the team will have gobs of cap space burning a hole in their pocket as well as a young core that will need extensions, but for this offseason, it seems unlikely that Vince Carter will be returning for his 22nd and final season with the Atlanta Hawks.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the news:
Still remains a long shot Hawks bring back Vince Carter. There have been discussions. Hawks will likely add a veteran but don't want to take time away from young players. Carter likely looking for bigger role than Hawks have.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) July 9, 2019
Certainly, in the upcoming season, Vince will match all manner of longevity and age-related records – becoming one of only three players to play games at age 43 or older in NBA history, joining Robert Parish for the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97 and Kevin Willis in 2006-07 after coming out of retirement for the Dallas Mavericks per Basketball Reference.
Carter still has plenty of gas left in the tank, as he played in 76 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season and put up 7.4 points per game, 2.6 rebounds per game and 1.1 assists per game. He also threw down plenty of dunks (at age 42!):
If anyone has earned the right to go ring-chasing, it’s Vinsanity, so let’s hope he lands in a place that will allow him to nab a ring with relative ease – though Vince will surely be looking to get minutes if possible no matter where he goes.
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Let’s hope he returns, but if not, happy trails Vince!