2017 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Dewayne Dedmon: 2 years, $14 million (Atlanta Hawks)
Spurs free agent Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 12, 2017
DeWayne Dedmon two years, $14 million to Atlanta, I'm told. Player option 2nd season.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 12, 2017
Don’t get us wrong, Dewayne Dedmon is an underrated commodity in this summer’s free agency class, and the Atlanta Hawks did well to sign a potential starting center to replace Dwight Howard at such a meager cost. Believe it or not, this soon-to-be 28-year-old who only averaged 5.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season probably could’ve gotten more on the open market.
However, this deal is a bit of a head-scratcher when one considers the second year is a player option. This could wind up being a one-year rental, which doesn’t make sense for a team whose starting center was Mike Muscala before this agreement. Even if the main objective is to maintain salary cap flexibility moving forward, why not try and keep Dedmon for longer than a year or two?
This is likely just a temporary stopgap until Muscala or sophomore Diamond Stone prove themselves, but the match here is a bit odd. If the goal is to tank, why not let those young guys get all of the available minutes? And if the goal is to tank while landing attainable talent at a fair cost in the interim, then why not make it a little longer than one year with a second-year player option? Good player, great value, odd contract length.
Bourguet Grade: B
HoopsHabit Grade: A-