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The Atlanta Hawks have been active since losing Paul Millsap to the Denver Nuggets, facilitating a three-way trade to garner assets for the future. On Tuesday evening, word broke that the Hawks aren’t close to done and two members of the Boston Celtics are now reportedly in Atlanta’s crosshairs.
First, a report surfaced that the Hawks could be in the mix for a trade that would bring Jae Crowder back to Atlanta, where he starred at nearby Villa Rica High School. Then, moments later, Kelly Olynyk’s name popped up in the aftermath of the Celtics renouncing his restricted free agent rights.
Boston has renounced restricted free agent Kelly Olynyk, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
Indiana and Atlanta on the short list of interested teams, I'm told https://t.co/zSw2oXp5QE
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 5, 2017
Olynyk is not exactly a fan favorite in Atlanta given the adversarial relationship between Hawks fans and the Celtics. However, the 26-year-old brings a great deal of offensive value to the table.
The former Gonzaga stand out boasts a career 36.8 percent clip from three-point range and that comes along with a 60 percent true shooting mark during the 2016-2017 season. Olynyk is not a traditional, rim-protecting big man but, in Mike Budenholzer’s offense, he could be a very interesting piece on that end that could be covered up defensively in the same way that Budenholzer has pulled off with players like Mike Scott.
As always, the price point will be pivotal in any negotiation, as Olynyk is not the top of player that Atlanta can afford to overpay in the midst of a rebuild. Still, he is young enough where an investment would be reasonable and is now unrestricted for any potential pursuit.
Stay tuned.