Atlanta Hawks May Trade Paul Millsap

If the Atlanta Hawks don’t believe they can keep big man Paul Millsap beyond this season, they may look to deal him before the NBA trade deadline

More from Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks may have made the best signing in basketball in 2013 when they signed veteran big man Paul Millsap to a two-year, $19 million deal.

He was fantastic for the Hawks last season and was named to the All-Star team. Despite the absence of their best player, center Al Horford, the Hawks got back to the postseason and pushed the Indiana Pacers to seven games before bowing out. With Horford back, the Hawks obviously have high hopes.

Clearly, they want to keep Millsap beyond this season but that could prove difficult because he will likely demand a hefty raise. That has led some to believe they may decide to deal Millsap.

“They signed him to a two-year, $19 million deal, which is too short to extend,” explains Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. “If the Hawks want to retain the services of Millsap, they’ll have to let him become an unrestricted free agent before they can sign him again. The two-year deal also presents a challenge for the Hawks because they only have Millsap’s early Bird rights meaning they can only offer him a maximum of four years and not five years like they would if they had his full Bird rights. So once Millsap becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, the bidding war will really begin. The Hawks have to decide whether they are all-in on Millsap prior to the trade deadline. If they sense that Millsap could command money they aren’t willing to spend, then they could very well trade Millsap away.”

The most realistic scenario seems to be keeping Millsap and then trying to keep him once he hits free agency.

Paul Millsap averaged 17.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 35.8% from beyond the arc and 73.1% from the free throw line. In the postseason, he averaged 19.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 39.8% from the field, 33.3% from three and 80.4% from the free throw line.

More from FanSided

Home/Atlanta Hawks