Atlanta Hawks: 3 Veteran Free Agents Who Can Fill Vince Carter Role

A quick look at a few veteran free agents for the Atlanta Hawks.

Vince Carter‘s tenure with the Atlanta Hawks has been more than a fun bookend to VC’s Hall-of-Fame career. The 43-year-old has been an important locker room piece for a very young Hawks team, and especially last year, played a good amount on the court.

Vince averaged 16.2 minutes per game in his two seasons in Atlanta, appearing in 136 total games. His production was never that great, especially this year, but it was nice having the legend on the team overall.

Unfortunately, Carter has declared this season his final season, and if the Hawks want someone to fill that veteran at the end of the bench role, they’ll have to look to free agency.

No one is going to be a 1:1 replacement, as Vince is the longest-tenured NBA player in history, and there aren’t any future Hall of Famers in this year’s free agency class who are too old to contribute for a contender.

There are still a few candidates, which we’ll take a look at here:

Kyle Korver, SG, 39

Korver is the oldest player on the list outside of Udonis Haslem — who has hinted that the 2019-2020 season was his last. The sharp-shooting journeyman had his best seasons in a Hawks uniform from 2012-2016, making his lone All-Star appearance in 2015.

Even with his age getting up there, Korver has still given solid play for the Bucks, averaging 16.7 minutes per game while shooting 41 percent from three. He’s made no indication that this season will be his last either, and while the Bucks could easily bring him right back, they could fill his role with a rookie just as easily. They currently own the 19th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The Atlanta Hawks could try and swoop in and grab Korver if he hits the open market, and while Korver would probably get offers from playoff teams, he could value coming back to the ATL and getting good minutes.

Korver was and still is a great teammate, and could be a perfect mentor to fellow catch-and-shoot guard Kevin Huerter.

Jared Dudley, SF, 35

Dudley served in a similar role in years prior before joining a contender this season, being a bench piece for the Suns then Nets from 2016-2019. For the Lakers this season, he’s appeared in just 40 games, averaging less than eight minutes per contest.

Obviously, the 2007 first-rounder was looking for a ring in L.A, but if he wants to return to his veteran bench role with more minutes, the Hawks could offer that.

With the Nets in the ’18-’19 season, Dudley averaged just over 20 minutes per game, putting up similar shooting numbers to Vince Carter’s first season in Atlanta.

Tyson Chandler, C, 37

Tyson Chandler is acting as a glorified assistant coach for the Rockets this season, racking up the DNP’s and clocking minutes in just 20 games. He hasn’t played in back-to-back games since early January. According to Basketball-Reference, he has 33 DNP’s in total.

Sitting on the end of the bench for a really good team may seem like a dream job to some, but Chandler could want to have one more season in which he actually plays.

The second overall pick of the 2001 draft would still get a handful of minutes in Atlanta and could work as a mentor to the Hawks’ talented but young frontcourt.