FanPost

Hawks Not Done In Free Agency?

I came across two articles from Fansided.com that you can read here discussing the Hawks possible interest in Shawn Marion and here concerning the Hawks using the rest of their salary cap space. Both speculate that the Atlanta Hawks are not done in free agency. The question is who could they still be going after? With the exception of Greg Monroe and Eric Bledsoe, there is no opportunity to make a "splash" signing. However, the Hawks still have about $9 million in cap space, so the money won't be an issue. The question is who will they acquire and how?

I believe the notion that the Hawks are not done in free agency (i.e. are still trying to make a big signing) has validity to it. My evidence you ask; they go by the names of my new favorite player Kent Bazemore and a soon to be Hawks fan favorite in my opinion, Adreian Payne. Neither guy has officially signed their contracts. Why haven't they been signed yet? Due to the structure of the salary cap, you can go over the cap to sign your own free agents and their first round draft picks. Therefore it is my belief the Hawks desire to use the remainder of its cap space to sign a big name free agent and then sign Bazemore to the Bi-Annual Exception (which is almost identical to the amount of Bazemore's agreed upon salary) and sign Payne to the Rookie Exception. Until those two gentlemen officially sign their contracts, the Hawks will remain a player in free agency.

So who will the Hawks acquire at this point and how? The who question is a little tricky but the only way I see them making another huge signing is via trade. Looking at the roster the Hawks have depth at every position. Here is what the current depth chart looks like (including Payne and Bazemore):

PG - Teague, Schroeder

SG - Korver, Bazemore, Jenkins

SF - Carroll, Sefalosha

PF - Millsap, Payne

C - Horford, Antic, Muscala

To me only an superstar and/or all-star caliber talent would mean a significant "splash." The Hawks are not looking to add third string players at this point due to the depth it already has. Signing a starter and plugging them in the starting lineup moves someone down the depth chart. If you sign a starting wing, what happens to the minutes for Bazemore or Sefalosha? I for one believe you have to give Bazemore enough minutes for him to excel. If you sign a big man, what happens to minutes for virtually all of power forwards and centers; will Millsap or Horford go to the bench? Danny Ferry has adopted the Houston model which is building assets for a big trade; as most of his players are interchangeable at numerous positions. Trading one won't hurt the depth of the team too much. My thought is if he can figure out a way to trade Jenkins, he will. Depending on the player received back, Carroll and/or Korver could be on the move as well. Either way, I don't see an outright signing working. One of the article links above says that the Hawks are interested in Shawn Marion (another guy that can play the 3 and 4 positions). I could see that working, but there is only so many minutes to go around. Unless we go in with the team as currently built (including resigning Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott, and sending Lamar Patterson and Walter Tavares overseas), there has to be a trade in the works which is exactly what the other articles linked above are suggesting. If they don't make the big free agent signing, they could very well outright sign Bazemore and Payne, thus cutting a chunk into the cap space. The remainder of the cap space after that could be used to resign Mack and Scott.

So if the Hawks are still players in free agency (which I believe they are) who do you want the Hawks to trade for realistically? Monroe and Bledsoe as I mentioned before can be had via trade possibly. Maybe even Kevin Love, however I am not sure if he would sign a contract extension with the Hawks (if not there is no deal). Who else could end up on the trading block that the Hawks should take a shot at? Here is one more article link from Hawkshoop.com which suggest that the Hawks are already plotting to get Greg Monroe. It makes some good arguments, including Danny Ferry's relationship with Monroe's agent David Falk (which is fascinating) and the fact that Ferry keeps his cards close to his chest (so no rumor leaks about it). All of this makes for an interesting rest of the summer. Stay tuned!

A FanPost expresses the opinion of the community member who wrote it and not that of the blog management.