Hawks center Dedmon earned $900,000 in contract incentives

Dewayne Dedmon (14) of the Hawks dunks against the Celtics in Boston, Sunday, April 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Credit: Michael Dwyer

Credit: Michael Dwyer

Dewayne Dedmon (14) of the Hawks dunks against the Celtics in Boston, Sunday, April 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon earned $900,000 in contract incentives on top of his $6 million salary during the 2018-19 season.

Dedmon earned the maximum incentives in his contract by surpassing thresholds of 41 games played with a combined average of 16 in points and rebounds. Dedmon played in 62 games and averaged 10 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Dedmon became a free agent last summer after opting out of a contract with the Spurs that would have paid him $3 million. He signed a two-year contract with the Hawks that includes a player option for 2018-19 that’s now worth about $7.2 million.

If Dedmon opts out this summer, he figures to draw significant interest in the free-agent market. He was a productive and efficient starter while posting career highs in games, minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals.

Perhaps most significantly, Dedmon provided evidence that he can be a perimeter-shooting big man, which is a valuable role in the NBA. After attempting only one 3-pointer in his previous 224 games, Dedmon made 35.5 percent of 141 tries this season.

By opting out, Dedmon would be passing up guaranteed money for the chance to seek a better contract, like he did last summer.

“I will talk to my agent and make the best decision for me and my family to move forward,” Dedmon said Wednesday. “I love the city of Atlanta. I had fun this season. We’ll see what happens. I definitely feel positive (about his future). We will see what happens. Nothing can be predicted. It will be interesting.”