The Hawks need a center. Zaza Pachulia needs a team.
Could there be a reunion?
As of July 1, the Hawks will have Miles Plumlee on the roster as the only center, and Pachulia will be an unrestricted free agent. Pachulia, who just won an NBA championship with the Warriors, played for the Hawks from 2005-13 and became a fan favorite.
I don’t have any concrete information that such a reunion is near or even likely. However it’s worth noting that I’ve spoken to three people around the NBA recently that said they would not be surprised if Pachulia returned to Atlanta.
Again nothing definite. It’s just a possibility I thought interesting enough to raise to the Hawks fan base and get your reaction.
Pachulia left for the Bucks in 2013 as an unrestricted free agent. I believe he wanted to stay at that time. After two seasons with the Bucks, Pachulia played for the Mavericks for a season before joining the Warriors last season. He averaged 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 18 minutes a game last season. Pachulia still owns a home in Atlanta.
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk just arrived from the Warriors and knows Pachulia.
The Hawks have options to sign a center in free agency. Mike Muscala is an unrestricted free agent and could re-sign. Other unrestricted free agent centers available are Greg Monroe, Dewayne Dedmon, Nene, JaVale McGee, Andrew Bogut, Willie Reed, Roy Hibbert, Jeff Withey, Aron Baynes and Anderson Varejao. Of course, the Hawks could also make an offer to a restricted free agent such as Mason Plumlee or Nerlens Noel. Finally, there is also the trade market.
So, what do you think? Should the Hawks try to bring Pachulia back to Atlanta?
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