Atlanta Hawks: 3 free-agent centers to strengthen the bench

Atlanta Hawks free-agent center No. 3: Willy Hernangomez has flown under the radar for a few seasons and could help a number of teams

Willy (pronounced Billy) Hernangomez might be the most available player on this list given the other names on the market this offseason. But the former New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets big man is coming off a season in which he averaged 7.8 points and a career-high 7.1 rebounds in just over 18 minutes per game with the New Orleans Pelicans.

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What’s more, in his 12 starts Hernangomez averaged 11.5 points and 10.8 boards. He also averaged 1.7 assists.

New Orleans had so much other noise going on, ultimately leading to a coaching change, that Hernangomez’s solid season went relatively unnoticed. But he, like Kanter, has averaged a double-double every year of his career.

Of course, you never want to base an entire evaluation on that, so it is nice to have seen Hernangomez put up numbers consistent with those projections when given big minutes.

Currently playing for Spain in the Olympics, Hernangomez had 11 points and three rebounds in just over 11 minutes.

New Orleans might like to retain his services. But with Steven Adams’ hefty contract and Jaxson Hayes coming along, they don’t really have room for him.

In addition to likely being the easiest to attain, Hernangomez should be the cheapest and is the youngest. Those are three terrific traits for a player to have if you’re the Hawks who will be operating in the margins, if not this season, in the very near future.

With his skill set, age, and price tag Hernangomez might be the best for this bench.