If Al Horford had re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks instead of joining the Boston Celtics, there’s a good-to-really-good chance Paul Millsap would be a member of the Denver Nuggets right now.
True story.
From ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe:
Presti doesn’t want to trade Westbrook, but if he feels backed into a corner, he will chase young players and draft picks. The Phoenix Suns reportedly talked with the Atlanta Hawks about Paul Millsap, and they come armed with prospects galore, extra point guards and two future Miami picks. The Denver Nuggets had the Hawks biting on a package of picks and players, including Kenneth Faried, for Millsap, per several league sources, but it’s unclear if Denver would chase Westbrook. Both teams have enough cap space left to renegotiate and extend Westbrook, though he might not have any interest in sticking around either place.
Never mind the Russell Westbrook trade rumors, which will undoubtedly reach fever pitch after Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors. (Though, he would be hella fun to watch in Denver, provided it didn’t cost the team Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari.) The Hawks may still shop Millsap depending on how their season plays out.
Losing Horford makes it unlikely. But it’s also unlikely that Millsap, 31, re-signs with the Hawks next summer when he enters free agency (player option). They appear to be toeing this line between rebuilding and competing, and it’s tough to believe that they, at this point, would give a four- or five-year max to a then-32-year-old.
Rather than lose him for nothing, the Hawks might try to shop him ahead of next season’s trade deadline. It could even happen this summer, albeit chances are they try to see how the Millsap-Dwight Howard dynamic plays out first.
Point being: Millsap’s future in Atlanta, both short term and long term, is far from guaranteed.
