| Sign Up | Google+
 

NBA Free Agency: Louis Williams A Steal For Atlanta

Stay connected for news and updates

A-T-L!

Details are still coming in over the agreed upon deal, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, between Atlanta's own Louis Williams and the Atlanta Hawks. We likely won't know all the details until Joe Johnson's trade is official and Kirk Hinrich and his cap hold is off the books when Chicago signs him.

What isn't known is how much and for how long. Some have speculated that Lou would slide into the the full MLE, which would start around 5 million per year and go up 4.5% over the maximum four seasons, meaning the Hawks would get Lou for a 4 year, 21.4 million dollar deal.

Sounds good? The RealMC is still trying to lock it down, but his original post said that the Hawks would get Lou for a portion of the MLE. That....would be a real good deal for the Hawks.

Consider:

  • Louis Williams is entering his Age 26 season and has been in the league seven seasons.
  • Williams' PER has gone up from 16.7 to 20.2 consistently for the past five seasons while sporting a 27% Usage rate.
  • He has had a positive net efficiency rating (Offensive-Defensive) for the past three seasons.
  • His turnover rate has shrunk to a ridiculously low 7.2 while his usage has been high.
  • According to 82games.com, his Net Production was 11th in the league, and you should see the players around him.
  • Williams' free throw rate (14.6%) would have finished second on the Hawks behind Zaza's (17+%).
For the Hawks to get Williams, a local draw and runner up sixth man of the year, in his prime for less that the full MLE is more than remarkable. Such a deal does not compromise the franchise's cap flexibility, given that only Horford and himself are signed beyond this season.

He projects to being a souped up Jamal Crawford for the Hawks, role wise and ability to get his own shot, and fits in nicely with the plan of getting younger and adding key pieces around Josh Smith and Al Horford.

He came in at #11 on SBNation's Tom Ziller's Free Agent Rankings before the signing season and at #3 on Chad Ford's "who's left" free agent rankings.


Exit Question: On a scale from 1 to 10, with one being extremely upset to 10 being out of your mind excited, where do you fall on the Lou Williams signing? Teacher's Edition Answer: 8.37

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Recent Posts

Stay connected for news and updates

The Next Read

There are 101 Comments. Load Now. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

Comments for this post are closed.

tracking_pixel_5351_tracker