It was a busy first day of free agency for the Atlanta Hawks, as the organization has re-signed SG/SF Kent Bazemore to a 4-year contract with a player option after the third year. in addition to signing Dwight Howard. Bazemore has been a revelation for Atlanta, who signed him for just $2 million in 2014. The 27-year-old went undrafted out of Old Dominion and gained popularity through his celebrations on the Golden State Warriors bench. After a brief stint with the Lakers, Bazemore began to carve out a role for Coach Mike Budenholzer, eventually working his way into the starting lineup this past season.
Besides his constant energy and effort on both ends, he made huge strides in his offensive game. His 3-point shooting became a key part of his repertoire, and he showed potential to heat up and take over games at times. For these reasons, it was clear that Bazemore was due for a pay raise. In signing with Atlanta, he actually turned down offers from the Houston Rockets and his former Lakers of 4 years, $72 million making it clear he wanted to stay put.
What does this mean for the Hawks?
If the Dwight Howard signing didn’t complicate things enough, this surely does. Bazemore seemed like he would be the odd man out assuming the Hawks would do everything they could to re-sign free agent Al Horford. However, this signing means that Horford is not a possibility unless other roster moves are made to clear up some space.
According to sources, the team is actively looking for trades that could do just this. Some contracts that come to mind which could be on the move are Tiago Splitter’s $8 million and Thabo Sefolosha’s $4 million. Other than that, the Hawks will have to get very creative if they wish to pull this off. For now, Bazemore will look to mentor draft picks Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry as the exact pecking order at the position is worked out.