Atlanta Hawks: 3 centers to avoid in free agency

The Atlanta Hawks have attempted to fix their backup point guard position by trading Bruno Fernando and Kris Dunn away getting Delon Wright in return. Now their last need is to fill the backup pivot position thanks to Onyeka Okongwu being out for six months recovering from shoulder surgery.

The relatively short-term nature of the injury provides a level of complexity for the Hawks. With Okongwu in the lineup, the Hawks were only a couple of games from being in the NBA Finals this season. Without Ogongwu playing they are in danger of falling down the standings a little.

This is how important the 12.0 minutes per game the rookie played last year. It is not just his defense and energy that is going to be missed. Okongwu had developed a really good connection with Lou Williams in the pick and roll and this made the second unit harder to defend.

The Atlanta Hawks need to be careful how they replace Onyeka Okongwu

The Hawks have a number of options that they could employ to replace Okongwu. These include signing a cheap free agent from within the league, or they could go to an old flame like Dwight Howard to get the production required.

They could also sign a player who may cost more but will certainly bolster the bench. This option might be good for production but has the potential to hamstring the franchise financially for the next couple of seasons. They also have the option of taking a flyer on an international player like Jock Landale.

There are so many options that they could take. However, there are also the center’s that the Hawks should not sign, here we take a look at three of them.