The Atlanta Hawks have doled out a lot of money this offseason. It wasn’t like the last offseason when they spent big money on Bogdan Bogdanovic and draft capital on Danilo Gallinari. This was Trae Young and John Collins locking in for up to $332 million combined. There was also the trade for Clint Capela — who also signed a two-year, $46 million extension — two seasons ago.
There is still plenty of work to be done, though, as the Hawks solid draft record over the past five years has left them with plenty of players deserving of raises.
Next on that list has admittedly been Kevin Huerter. The 6-foot-7 wing out of Maryland came into the NBA as a highly-touted shooter. But he has proven, especially in the playoffs, that he is a much more complete player, let alone an offensive weapon.
Atlanta Hawks wing Kevin Huerter could view teammate as benchmark in negotiations
To that end, Huerter will almost certainly be looking to cash in when his time ultimately comes. The subject came up on Brian Windhorst’s podcast, ‘Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective’ with Tim McMahon and Tim Bontemps. Huerter’s reps could very well view the four-year, $72-million pact signed by teammate Bogdanovic as the goal.
Or at least they will try to be in the same neighborhood.
For Huerter, who averaged 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the regular season, that might seem a little ambitious.
Bogdanovic put up 14.6/3.4/3.6 over his final two seasons with the kings. He set career-highs virtually across the board, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 boards, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting .473/.438/.909.
Huerter, like Collins, saw his individual numbers take a hit this season. But he’s still seen his efficiency beyond the arc fall each season he’s been in the NBA. However, he’s also younger, shot a career-best 43.2 percent from the floor, and had 1.2 steals per game. There’s also the matter of his 27-points in Game 7 versus the Philadelphia 76ers where he shot just four threes.
Of course, Bogdanovic averaged more points in the postseason, including going for 22.7/3.3/4.0 and a surprising 2.3 steals over the last three games against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The guys on the podcast point out that Huerter’s deal could very well come in at a lower total than Bogdanovic, Windhorst is quick to note that he thinks Red Velvet would have plenty of suitors were he to hit the open market.
That was the picture painted ahead of Collins’ foray into restricted free agency. It turned out not to be true. And, while Atlanta might have been bidding against themselves, things ultimately worked out for all parties involved. At this point in time, we should still expect the deal to happen, regardless of how we end up getting there and how much it ends up being worth.