General manager Rick Sund said the Hawks are unlikely to pay the luxury tax, a stance that essentially ends the team's chances of re-signing free agent Jamal Crawford.
“It’s going to be difficult to sign Jamal in a straight signing transaction,” Sund said Sunday. “We are looking at other alternatives, of course. You always look at everything but it’s not nearly as easy as if you had four months. Four days instead of four months makes it more it more difficult.”
Sund was referring to the shortened free-agent period that follows the end of the lockout last week. Atlanta opens the regular season on Dec. 27.
A handful of teams have expressed interest in signing Crawford but he faces a tightening market for guards as some teams opt to sign cheaper options. He still figures to be outside the Hawks' price range if they don't pay the luxury tax, which is a dollar-for-dollar levy on team salaries exceeding $70 million.
That means the Hawks face the possibility of losing Crawford without compensation. They also wouldn't be able to sign any other free agents for more than the veteran minimum salary.
Atlanta could acquire players in return for Crawford in a sign-and-trade transaction but the rules dictate that they take back salary from most teams in such a deal. That also would requite Atlanta to pay some tax, making a sign-and-trade with Crawford unlikely.
Crawford, 31, came to Atlanta in a trade before the 2009-10 season. He went on to lead the league's reserves in scoring and media voted him the Sixth Man Award winner.
The Hawks declined Crawford's request for a contract extension before last season and then also didn't accommodate his trade demand. Crawford's offensive production and efficiency decreased in 2010-11 but he was Atlanta's leading scorer during its first-round playoff victory against Orlando.
Sund didn’t rule out the Hawks eventually paying some tax but he noted that most teams are backing away from doing so, especially since the tax penalties increase in the third year of the new collective bargaining agreement.
"We have never been a taxpaying team and our goal is not to pay the [luxury ] tax," Sund said. But, "you never say never," he said.
Sund said the Hawks are in the market for a veteran point guard to bolster the back court while Kirk Hinrich recovers from shoulder surgery for at least the next two months. There is no experienced backup to Jeff Teague in Atlanta's training camp.
The Hawks are interested in veterans Gilbert Arenas and Chauncey Billups, who were recently were released under the new amnesty clause. When they clear waivers, they would become free agents.
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