Atlanta Hawks: 5 potential free agency targets in 2018

5. Arron Afflalo

Coming off his worst season since he was a rookie, Arron Afflalo could stand out as an interesting buy-low candidate for the Hawks. I could see the team bringing him in on a veteran’s minimum salary.

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If Afflalo received anything higher than the minimum, it would surprise me. The 32-year-old is coming off of a season in which he averaged only 12.9 minutes in 53 games this year. He wasn’t particularly impressive in those outings either; he finished with career-lows in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), offensive rating, win shares, box plus/minus (BPM), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

When Afflalo is at his best, he can be an effective 3-and-D player. Considering the rarity of these types of players, taking a chance on Afflalo could pay off for the team that takes a flier on him.

Signing with Atlanta and serving as a backup to Huerter and Bazemore makes a lot of sense for Afflalo. He could serve as something of a mentor to the younger wing players while rehabbing his stock on a team that has no real playoff aspirations next season. If he can bounce back, that could allow the Hawks to trade him to a contender in need of perimeter depth while getting back prospects or draft picks.

It’s far from the flashiest deal, but signing Afflalo could help the Hawks in the present and the future.