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The 2015 NBA Free Agent period officially began at midnight on Tuesday with several players around the league meeting with various teams. No word yet on who the Hawks met with as the period opened, but we can suspect that they have been in contact with a pair of their own free agents in Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. Earlier this week they indicated that retaining both was their top priority.
Here is a roundup of the latest news since the free agent period opened:
Paul Millsap was one of the best bargains in the league for the last two years after he inked a 2-year, $19 million deal with the Hawks in 2013. He is expected to garner a ton of interest from teams throughout the process. One of those teams is the New York Knicks, but Sheridan Hoops' Michael Scotto reports that Millsap's price tag may exceed what New York is willing to spend.
Source: Knicks have some interest in Paul Millsap, but his possible price range of $17-19 million per season would be too high for New York.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 1, 2015
DeMarre Carroll also figures to garner a lot of interest especially with Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler having restricted status. The price tag for Carroll could start in the $10-12 million range and he and Spurs wing Danny Green are using the contract given to Chandler Parsons by the Dallas Mavericks as a baseline this summer.
One GM said that 3 yrs/$46m for Chandler Parsons will set market for wings this yr. Middleton, Danny Green, DeMarre Carroll all point to it
— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) July 1, 2015
Again New York figures to be one of the more active teams this summer and they are expected to sit down with Carroll at some point according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:
The Knicks will also be in the mix for the Hawks' two-way wing DeMarre Carroll, who is a big fan of Fisher's and who will meet with teams in Atlanta, according to a source. Carroll could become the starting small forward with Anthony moving to power forward, where he has been effective in the new era of small-ball.
Important to point out that the Knicks are in on a lot of players so their situation and interest in Carroll remains in a bit of flux.
Even though the fit doesn't seem to be there, rumors persist that the Hawks have interest in free agent shooting guard Monta Ellis. The Hawks were previously linked to Ellis in the summer of 2013 when they ultimately decided to match the offer sheet for Jeff Teague.The fit with Ellis seems suspect this time around unless they are looking to unload a point guard. While small ball has become more common in the NBA, a potential backcourt combination of Teague and Ellis would present a variety of defensive issues. Still where there is smoke there is usually fire and this is smoke that simply won't go away. Others reportedly interested in Ellis include Sacramento, Indiana, Denver and possibly Miami.
In addition to Pacers, the Hawks, Nuggets and Kings calling on Monta Ellis, source says. With Dwyane Wade in limbo, Heat could be factor.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) July 1, 2015
Hawks free agent guard John Jenkins probably won't know where he is headed for several weeks, but he did change representation right before the start of free agency.
Unrestricted free agent John Jenkins has signed with Relativity Sports, where he'll be represented by Dan Fegan and Dan Frank.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 1, 2015
The Hawks elected to not pick up the team option on Jenkins prior to the start of the season making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jenkins missed virtually all of the 2013 season with a back injury that eventually led to surgery. He returned healthy last season, but was unable to crack Atlanta's rotation at the shooting guard position.
Stay tuned to Peachtree Hoops for more free agent news throughout the day.