Kent Bazemore will remain a priority for the Atlanta Hawks to re-sign once the free agency period begins on July 1, despite selecting two small forwards in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Taurean Prince with the 12th pick in the draft and DeAndre Bembry with the 21st pick, giving them two young options at the wing.
Even though it may look as if Atlanta is ready to move on from Bazemore, general manager Wes Wilcox emphasized that re-signing the former Old Dominion swingman remains a team priority this offseason.
Speaking with the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Chris Vivlamore, Wilcox stated:
"“I will say Kent Bazemore is absolutely a Hawks priority…We love Kent. He is a huge part of what we do. I don’t think there should be any confusion as to how important Kent is to us.”"
Bazemore is set to cash in during the free agency period, after having an excellent year serving as the Hawks starting small forward.
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Bazemore averaged 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while sinking nearly 36 percent of his three-point attempts for the Hawks during the 2015-16 campaign. He is also an excellent defender, able to defend both the shooting guard and small forward positions.
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The Hawks signed Bazemore to an affordable, team-friendly, two-year deal in 2014. Though he was a spot starter and rotational player in his first year in Atlanta, Bazemore turned into an integral part of both their offense and defense this past season.
Following the departure of DeMarre Carroll to Toronto in free agency a year ago, there was concern about how the Hawks would recover from his exit. Carroll was the team’s second-best three-point option and best defender.
There was also concern about how Thabo Sefolosha (the presumed heir apparent to the starting SF role) would recover from a season ending injury.
Bazemore stepped into the starting lineup and outperformed all expectations placed upon him. He developed into a deadly three-point shooter and showed an ability to slash to the basket — just as Carroll had done.
Because Bazemore exceeded expectations this past year and with a dearth of productive “3&D” players in the league, he is expected to be offered a lucrative contract this summer, similar to the five-year, $60 million contract Carroll received with the Raptors last offseason.
The Hawks made the decision last summer to pursue Paul Millsap instead of Carroll, allowing him to get that particular offer from Toronto.
This summer presents a similar situation, with Al Horford jockeying for a max deal and Bazemore looking to receive a similar contract to what Carroll’s.
While some may feel that Carroll’s deal last summer was overpaying for a player of that caliber, the market has now set the price.
With the Hawks trying to re-sign Horford and attempting to lure another max-level player, one may think that Atlanta would jettison any attempt to re-sign Bazemore. He may just cost to much and Atlanta may be unwilling to match.
That’s not the case according to Wilcox, and was adament that Bazemore still is a priority.
Even though the Hawks drafted Prince and Bembry, there is no indication that either will be ready to contribute in their first NBA season. Bazemore is an integral part of what the Hawks do, and it may behoove them to sign him on a short-term deal if he is willing.
If Bazemore does happen to receive an offer the Hawks can’t match, Atlanta still has Sefolosha, Prince and Bembry on the roster. That being said, it would be a big loss if Baze bolted to another team.
At least the Hawks front office had the foresight to see this situation coming. Stay tuned.