Making the case for the Atlanta Hawks to re-sign Treveon Graham.
While they should be looking to use their cap space and trade assets to find another star to add to the team, the Atlanta Hawks also need to solidify their depth this off-season. Last year, especially when John Collins was suspended, the team was very thin and fell apart whenever Trae Young had to leave the floor.
That got better as the season went along, as the team added vets like Dewayne Dedmon, Jeff Teague, and Treveon Graham to the mix. Dedmon is under contract for two more seasons, but the other two are set to be free agents this summer. We’ve already covered the team’s decision to make around Teague, and here we’ll be looking at the potential of re-signing Graham.
Graham has been a quality 3-and-D wing since joining the league in 2016. This season, however, he lost his shot, making just 24 percent of his threes in Minnesota. The team essentially dumped him to Atlanta despite his high-motor defense, and he began turning it around once he suited up for the Hawks.
The 26-year-old guard instantly helped the young Hawks on the perimeter on both ends of the court. His energetic defense was a nice change of pace from the play of disgruntled vets like Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe.
Coach Lloyd Pierce quickly showed trust defensively in Graham, bringing him off the bench in late-game situations when the Hawks needed a stop.
While he wasn’t a sniper by any means on the other end, he did become a streaky shooter, raising his three-point percentage elven points to a cool 35 percent during his 22 games in Atlanta. He got hot in a few games, including against Portland when he scored 12 points in 13 minutes on 5 of 5 shooting.
He’s low-volume on offense, averaging just 9.1 field goal attempts per 36 minutes played but knows his role well: a defensive-stopper that can fire threes in a pinch.
Given how small his price tag will likely be, the Atlanta Hawks should try and re-sign Graham. He proved to be a serviceable role player and can be a spot starter if the team is hit with the injury bug next season again.
If nothing else, he can be an end-of-the-bench guy the Hawks can turn to when they need a defensive stop or two.
Should the Atlanta Hawks re-sign Treveon Graham?