NBA free agency: One move every team should avoid
By John Buhler
Atlanta Hawks: Sign C Al Jefferson.
The Atlanta Hawks have already traded away starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers, and have two more starters from their 2015-16 roster on the free agency block: center Al Horford and small forward Kent Bazemore.
While general manager Wes Wilcox created enough salary cap room with the Teague trade to bring back both Horford and Bazemore, there remains a possibility one of them will walk, in which case Atlanta will be on the market for either a starting center or small forward.
Small forward is a premium position in the small ball era, but expect Wilcox and head coach Mike Budenholzer to have an easier time replacing Bazemore than Horford. Wings like Harrison Barnes, Chandler Parsons, or even Kevin Durant would all upgrades on Bazemore.
Horford, however, would be a very difficult man to replace. Atlanta could target players like Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, or Hassan Whiteside as its new center, and they all come with their own strengths and weakenesses. But if there is one player the Hawks should avoid in the front court discussion, it’s Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson.
Jefferson, who is in his early 30s, is a traditional back-to-the-basket center. He’s had health issues over the last few years in Charlotte and would limit the Hawks’ spacing on the offensive end. In essence, signing Jefferson would be like overpaying for a slightly better player than the Hawks already have: Tiago Splitter.
Splitter has spent four years in Budenholzer’s system, including their time together in San Antonio. Though he needed season-ending hip surgery, starting Splitter at center isn’t a bad worst-case scenario for the 2016-17 Hawks. He did start for championship teams at center with the San Antonio Spurs. Jefferson would help on the glass, but he would be redundant in the Hawks offense.
Next: Boston Celtics.