NBA Free Agent Rumors: Atlanta Hawks a sleeper team in Carmelo Anthony race?

Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report that the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are a pair of teams that could join the Knicks, Bulls, Rockets and several other teams in the pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. On the Hawks Shelburne says that Anthony is just one of many scenarios that Hawks officials are looking at and they would have to clear approximately $10-12 million in cap space to even get in the race.

The Hawks would have to clear approximately $10 million to $12 million in salary-cap space to pursue Anthony, but sources indicate that is one of the many options Atlanta is considering, making it a sleeper team to watch.

At this point it seems like Anthony in Atlanta is a long shot at best but is just one of the scenario's that management is exploring. The Hawks have some flexible contracts and could possibly clear the cap space necessary but that is still a lot of dominoes that have to fall before something like this even becomes feasible. Out of all of the teams mentioned I feel that the Hawks are probably the least likely to obtain Anthony. With the Hawks however, poised to make a big splash its natural to see how their name could get included.

Still this is exactly the type of move that Danny Ferry and the organization have been positioning themselves for. They have been building assets and a roster full of movable contracts to become flexible enough to acquire a star talent should the opportunity present itself. The question in this instance is whether or not the timing is right.