Well it is safe to say the Hawks were busy on the first day of free agency. At 12:01 A.M, Paul Millsap met with the Orlando Magic, who offered the all-star forward a 4-year max contract worth 80 million dollars. Millsap immediately stopped all other negations and is rumored to be deciding between either the Hawks or the Magic. However, this was just the beginning of what has been an exciting start to free agency.
Earlier this morning, the Hawks traded for Spurs center Tiago Splitter. It has not been announced what the Hawks will be giving up, but it will not be anybody from the current roster. The Spurs needed to move Splitter in order to free up cap space, and the Hawks now have a backup plan if Millsap decides to depart for Orlando. If Millsap does stay, Splitter will be able to come off the bench and provide the backup big man the Hawks have needed.
And not too long after, Demarre Carroll announced he will be leaving the Hawks. The saddening news came when Demarre Carroll tweeted this:
#WeThe North I will be playing for Toronto Raptors next year!!!! I'm Blessed for this Opportunity!… https://t.co/pBK6NvRVcE
— DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) July 1, 2015
He signed a 4-year deal worth 60 million dollars. The news is not great, but I think the Hawks made the right decision. Carroll is a terrific player and has been a joy to watch the past two seasons, but he has never averaged over 13 points a game in a season. He also is not a great rebounder. His defense was a luxury, but the Hawks need guys who can score, so locking up a 12-point a game player for 15 million dollars annually would not have been the best decision.
We wish Demarre Carroll the best in the future and stay tuned here for more updated on free agency!
Update: Paul Millsap re-signs with the Atlanta Hawks at three years/$58 million