Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder was amenable to a reserve role this season but reiterated his desire to be the starter going forward, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “In the future, I want to be a starting point guard,” Schröder said. “Everybody knows it. But in the situation I was this year, I was fine with it. I played my minutes, and I just tried to get better. When the coaching staff and everybody decides I get the team [and start], I’m going to be ready for it.”
Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer deflected a question about whether he intends to make a max offer to soon-to-be free agent Al Horford, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Still, Budenholzer’s reluctance to give a direct answer is probably because the sides technically can’t have negotiations on a new contract until July 1st, when Horford’s existing deal expires, and Vivlamore has said before that the Hawks indeed plan to make a max offer. “It is the day after the season,” Budenholzer said Monday. “All those things, you will have to call his agent. He is incredibly valuable to us.”
- Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks last summer, will take a hands-off approach rather than put on a hard press to recruit Horford back to the team, Vivlamore notes in the same piece. “If he wants my two cents, he’ll ask for it,” Millsap said. “I don’t like to butt into other people’s business but I think he knows from talking to me last year what the process is going to be like. I think Al knows that every player on this team appreciates everything that he did. Love him like a brother. We know how important he is to us but it’s up to him to make his decision.”
Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford isn’t leaving any doubt about his fondness for Atlanta and the Hawks, answering affirmatively Sunday when Zach Klein of WSB-TV asked whether he wants to be back with the team next season (Twitter link). The Jason Glushon client expressed his faith in Mike Budenholzer’s system, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “I believe it in my heart,” Horford said. “I believe that the way that we play makes us successful, and we have to figure out how we can take that next step as a group.” Those weren’t the only remarks Horford made in the wake of Sunday’s playoff ouster that sound encouraging to Atlanta’s hopes of re-signing him, but players on expiring contracts often speak well of their incumbent teams at season’s end, only to head elsewhere in July.
- Trade candidate Jeff Teague doesn’t think the Hawks will pull the trigger on a deal this summer, expressing confidence Sunday that he’ll be back next season even after the Hawks sat him the entire fourth quarter of Game 4 in favor of Dennis Schröder, notes Ray Glier of USA Today. “Yeah, I’ve been here my whole career, why wouldn’t I?” Teague said.
- Budenholzer resists the notion that consecutive sweeps at the hands of Cleveland should prompt the Hawks to tear apart their roster, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Losing to Cleveland twice is tough,” Budenholzer said. “But to the fanbase, to people who think [about blowing it up], if we want to find a way to beat whether it be Cleveland or whoever the great teams in the league or our conference are, blowing it up is probably not the way to beat a team like Cleveland or whoever it may be that is very good.”
A major draft-related event takes place this week, as scouts, executives and these prospects will gather for the NBA combine in Chicago from Wednesday through Sunday. Teams will start working out players in earnest after that, though some auditions have already taken place. Here’s the latest on that front with the June 23rd draft little more than six weeks away:
- The workouts that former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell has with the Lakers and Clippers are slated for May 16th and 18th, respectively, tweets Jonathan Goodman of ESPN.com, advancing an earlier report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Ferrell will also work out for the Suns on the 20th, Jazz on the 22nd, Bulls on the 23rd, Hawks on the 25th, Mavericks on the 26th, Pistons on the 31st, Wizards on June 2nd, Nets on June 8th, and Knicks on June 10th, Goodman reveals. Ferrell is trying to work his way into the second round, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him No. 66 while Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates him only 99th.
- Massive UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye will work out for the Rockets and Lakers, Goodman tweets. Givony, who ranks him the 30th-best prospect among juniors, lists Ndiaye at 7’6″, while Goodman says he’s 7’5″. Ford, who also lists him at 7’6″, ranks him the 136th-best prospect overall.
- Utah State small forward Jalen Moore will work out with the Grizzlies on May 16th, the Timberwolves on the 18th and the Nets on the 23rd, as he tells Goodman (Twitter link). Moore is Givony‘s 69th-best junior and Ford‘s 190th prospect overall.
- The Hawks worked out Taurean Prince, Justin Jackson, Nigel Hayes, Pascal Siakam, Alex Hamilton and Wes Washpun on Saturday, a source told Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link).
The Hawks face major uncertainty for the second offseason in a row, but the financial squeeze doesn’t appear quite as dire as it was last summer. Atlanta proved unable to afford to re-sign both Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll in large measure because the Hawks only had Early Bird rights on Carroll, but the Hawks should have the wherewithal to re-sign Al Horford and Kent Bazemore this summer despite Early Bird rights on Bazemore. That’s a product of Al Horford’s bargain $12MM salary this season, which creates only an $18MM cap hold, much lower than the roughly $26MM he’ll likely end up with on a max contract. The Hawks would have some $20MM available for Bazemore if they secure a quick commitment from Horford. Atlanta won’t need cap space to re-sign Horford, since he has full Bird rights, so the Hawks can refrain from officially signing him until they’ve used cap space on Bazemore. In other words, timing is key. See how Atlanta’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues itsoffseason salary cap digest series.
Guaranteed Salary
- Paul Millsap ($20,072,033)
- Tiago Splitter ($8,550,000)
- Jeff Teague ($8,000,000)
- Kyle Korver ($5,239,437)
- Thabo Sefolosha ($3,850,000)
- Dennis Schröder ($2,708,582)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. ($2,281,605)
- Edy Tavares ($1,000,000)
- Total: $51,701,657
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Mike Muscala ($1,015,696) — salary non-guaranteed even if option picked up
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Mike Scott ($3,333,334)
- Lamar Patterson ($874,636)
- Total: $4,207,970
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Al Horford ($18,000,000)
- Kent Bazemore ($2,600,000)
- Kris Humphries ($1,200,000)
- Total: $21,800,000
Other Cap Holds
- No. 21 pick ($1,249,800)
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Al Horford will be among the most popular free agents this summer, but he didn’t sound ready to leave Atlanta after the Hawks were eliminated today, relays Chris Vivlamore of the Journal-Constitution. “My main priority tomorrow is to meet with the team and the coaches one last time [for the season] and go from there and figure out how we can be a better group,” Horford said. The Hawks are planning to offer Horford a maximum contract, and several other teams are expected to bid on him. The nine-year veteran made $12MM this season but could more than double that amount in free agency.
The Hawks are the only team Horford has played for, and he has developed a strong attachment to Atlanta. “I’ve set up here with my family,” he said. “We all live here. We live here in the summer. We live here year-round. I’m very grateful for all the people here. They have taken me in from the very first day, even though I was a [Florida] Gator. They loved me. I really love the city.”
- The Hawks need “major change and major improvement,” starting with a go-to scorer who can carry the team late in games, writes Jeff Schultz of The Journal-Constitution. Schultz says Paul Millsap disappeared too often in the playoffs, and Horford isn’t strong enough in the paint or reliable enough outside to be a dependable scorer. The writer adds that Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder are too inconsistent, while Kyle Korver is headed toward reserve status and Kent Bazemore may be leaving as a free agent.
The Hawks lost to the Cavaliers on Monday night by a score of 104-93 and have fallen a game behind Cleveland in the series. Atlanta, coming off a 48-34 campaign, has a busy offseason ahead of it, and with a number of key players set to hit free agency, the franchise will certainly have some difficult calls to make.
Al Horford (15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds), Kirk Hinrich (0.5 points, 1.3 assists), Kent Bazemore (11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Kris Humphries (6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds) are all set to become unrestricted free agents, Mike Scott (6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds) and Lamar Patterson (2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds) both have non-guaranteed deals, plus, the Hawks have a team option for Mike Muscala worth $1,015,696. Atlanta currently has $51.7MM in guaranteed salary committed for 2016/17, which means the franchise could have approximately $40MM in cap flexibility to work with this offseason.
This brings me to today’s topic: Who among Atlanta’s potential free agents should the team re-sign/retain this summer? Who should the team let walk?
Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and voice your opinions on the subject. Tell us who the team should prioritize retaining for the 2016/17 season and why. If you are against one or more of the players mentioned above remaining in a Hawks uniform, share your thoughts with us on that as well. We look forward to what you have to say.
The Hawks‘ Kent Bazemore stands to significantly increase his $2MM salary as he heads toward free agency, but he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has been too busy to think about it. “Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Bazemore said. “It’s been a very aggressive year as far as scheduling, as far as the physical and mental load. I think in December, I had already played 300 more minutes than I had the whole last year. So physically, it was a lot.” Bazemore probably attracted a lot of suitors by averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full year as a starter with the Hawks. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Although he can expect to get plenty of offers this summer, Bazemore’s first choice is to remain in Atlanta. “Being able to be out there and play through your mistakes and have a coach [Mike Budenholzer] who takes it personal to coach you,” Bazemore said. “He loves my competitiveness and I love how competitive he is. It’s a match made in heaven.”
- The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares and swingman Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, the team announced via press release.
- The Hawks have once again assigned swingman Lamar Patterson to the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Patterson will play in the deciding game of the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles D-Fenders tonight, Vivlamore notes.