Atlanta Hawks Free Agency Tier List: Centers
By Dallin Duffy
Atlanta Hawks free agency tier list: centers.
Ending our free agency tier lists by taking a look at centers, a position the Atlanta Hawks will likely not be spending major money on. They are set at the position with Clint Capela, Dewayne Dedmon and Bruno Fernando all under contract.
They could still add another, however, whether it is taking a flier on a young, unproven talent or adding a veteran locker room guy. Here we’ll be ranking all the upcoming free agent centers and accessing their potential fit in Atlanta.
NBA Free Agency Tier List: Centers
Searching for a big payday:
- Andre Drummond (player option)
- Tristan Thompson
The Hawks apparently did their due diligence with Drummond during last year’s trade season before they decided to pursue Capela. Smart move. Neither Drummond nor Thompson makes sense in Atlanta at this point.
High-end role players:
All of these players would be worth a modest-sized deal if the team wasn’t set at center already. Would any of these five provide more value than Dedmon? Fernando? It’s close but probably not.
Young (and thus, pricey) studs:
- Jakob Poeltl (restricted)
- Willie Cauley-Stein (player)
Cauley-Stein (27) pushes the “young” part of this tier a bit, but it’s a very weak center market this year. Someone will likely overpay him because of that. The Hawks were also apparently in talks with San Antonio about Poeltl last February, a potential move that I liked, although not as much as Capela.
Proven vets:
Now we’re getting to the category of players that the Atlanta Hawks could theoretically add. If the price is right, Biyombo’s shot-blocking makes him top-class injury protection for the bench.
End of the bench guys:
Kanter has a reputation for being a great teammate, a type of player that could be beneficial to the Hawks’ locker room now that Vince Carter is gone. Tyson Chandler also held a similar role on the Rockets last season.
Low-risk fliers:
All of these players scream: “eh, why not?” At just 23 years old, Maker is athletically gifted and has room to become a solid player still.
Other noteworthy names:
- Robin Lopez (player)
- Jahlil Okafor
- Damian Jones (restricted)
- Dewan Hernandez
- Joakim Noah
- Tyler Zeller
- Tacko Fall (restricted)
Okafor and Jones would help the team’s offense but hurt the defense, while Noah and Fall would help the defense and hurt the offense. Neither would see major minutes in the current Hawks lineup, however.
What centers should the Atlanta Hawks sign this offseason?