The Hawks are losing - not gaining – players during free agency.
The team’s front office continues to take a wait-and-see approach during the period. Meanwhile, Paul Millsap and Jose Calderon signed elsewhere, Dwight Howard and Ryan Kelly were traded and Mike Dunleavy was waived. The Hawks did sign first-round pick John Collins.
The Hawks fan base remains on edge waiting for the moves that will fill the roster as free agency enters a third day. New general manager Travis Schlenk said from the beginning that the team would wait for the market to settle before reaching out to available players. It appears that will take at least another day.
Speculation around the league is that teams are waiting for Gordon Hayward, the Jazz’s unrestricted free agent, to make his decision. The Jazz are the final team he will meet with after visits to the Heat and Celtics. Once Hayward decides, the two teams that missed out can begin to spend their considerable salary cap space. When that in motion, teams like the Hawks will have a better idea what players remain and at what price. Hayward could make his decision Monday or Tuesday.
The Hawks still have restricted free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. and unrestricted free agents Thabo Sefolosha, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Muscala. They will need to sign a power forward following the loss of Millsap.
Stay tuned.
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