Should the Atlanta Hawks take a long shot on Isaiah Thomas?
The Atlanta Hawks have one final roster spot remaining and while they may not make any moves until the season is underway it is fun to try and fill it. While there are a number of veteran free agents out there, the list got smaller when Dennis Schroder signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Hawks have two positional needs that they need to fill – if they possibly can. They have left themselves very thin at the power forward position and according to Bleacher Report, their main weakness is the veteran backup point guard role.
They have the potential to re-sign Lou Williams or to look further afield. This is where a player like Isaiah Thomas might be worthwhile as a potential 15th man on the bench. He is a proven scorer who has struggled since coming back from his major hip surgery.
So why should the Atlanta Hawks be interested in Isaiah Thomas?
Well, Thomas is a really interesting prospect, at least on the offensive end. He is an undersized quick guard with a solid ability to run an offense. He took the Boston Celtics deep into a playoff run in 2017 as the starting point guard. He was injured for the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals which helped the Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals.
He is a shadow of that player due to injury but if the Hawks could sign him for a veteran’s minimum he would be a really good presence on the bench. His job would be to come on and spark the offense if required. The main reason for this is if he is so small that he is going to be exploited on defense.
This is not an issue though if he is only on the court to change things up for the team. Thomas is not going to be the star that he was for the Celtics but if he can provide some spark when needed, he is more than worth the risk of a veteran’s minimum.