NBA Free agency is set to open tonight, and the Atlanta Hawks enter the evening with their biggest roster hole still there.
That is the center spot.
Yes, the Hawks still have Onyeka Okongwu (who is one of the most underrated in the league), but behind him are rookies Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar, as well as Mouhamed Gueye (who is more of an emergency center for Atlanta). The playoff series against the Knicks exposed some things for Atlanta, and one of them was the lack of size they have on the interior, rim protection, and rebounding.
This free agency class is not exceptionally deep, but who are four targets to watch tonight once things open up at 6:00 p.m. ET?
Jock Landale
The simplest solution for the Hawks is to just bring back Jock Landale, who was really solid for them down the stretch of the season after being acquired for mere cash considerations at the trade deadline.
Landale gave the Hawks what they needed, physicality, floor spacing, and rebounding, but they are going to have competition for his services after how he played at the end of the year.
He is coming off the best season of his career, both playing with the Hawks and the Grizzlies and it would not be a surprise if Atlanta opted to bring Landale back to backup Okongwu.
Robert Williams III
Robert Williams III is arguably the biggest free agent center on the market and is likely going to command a salary around the non-tax MLE (a little over $15 million), and the Hawks have access to that after declining the team option on Jonathan Kuminga yesterday.
While the Hawks might not be thrilled about bringing in a center who has injury concerns, considering how the Kristaps Porzingis trade went last season and how thin the Hawks were at the end of the year, Williams III is the kind of elite defender and rim protector the Hawks need.
Last season was one of the healthiest of his career, playing in 59 games, averaging 6.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.5 BPG, while being on the floor for an average 17.1 MPG and shooting over 70% from the floor..
Again, the concern is the health. Prior to last season, Williams played in only 61 games combined in the three seasons before that. He likely cannot play major minutes for a team anymore, but he could still be a reliable backup and is coming off a great playoff series against the Spurs.
It might be a boom or bust type of signing, but the Hawks should certainly be interested.
Mitchell Robinson
This would be a bit ironic.
Mitchell Robinson is a big reason the Hawks were sent home in the playoffs by the New York Knicks and now he is an unrestricted free agent. It does not appear that New York is going into the second apron to bring him back and he will be ready to cash in on his best season as a pro.
There is certainly going to be competition for Robinson and the Hawks have not been mentioned as a team that is currently planning to pursue arguably the best rebounder in the NBA.
Robinson is an elite rebounder and rim protector, but he is not going to be able to play major minutes, has injury concerns, and is a very poor free throw shooter, which could become a huge problem in the playoffs.
Robinson is the perfect backup center, but he might want more money than what you would pay a typical backup big.
Sandro Mamukelashvili
This is an interesting name for the Hawks and the average basketball fan might not know that Mamukelashvili was one of the best bench players in the NBA last season.
Mamukelashvili is an elite three point shooter, shooting 39% on nearly four three-point attempts per game. Last season was the best year of his career, where he averaged 11.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG in a little over 20 minutes per game.
His weakness though is going to be defense and he is not going to provide much rim protection. The Hawks value floor spacing, but might not want to risk their defense for it.
Mamukelashvili has seen his stock rise over the course of the season and will be set to cash in once free agency begins.
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