It looks like the Atlanta Hawks won’t be sellers at the trade deadline after all.
For now.
After trading Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks moved Paul Millsap to the chopping block. But, roughly one second later, they took him off, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
For now, Atlanta Hawks All-Star forward Paul Millsap is no longer on the trade market, league sources told The Vertical.
Atlanta general manager Wes Wilcox started informing teams Monday afternoon that the Hawks were no longer working to unload Millsap, sources said. Millsap can be a free agent this summer, and multiple teams – including Denver, Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers – had an interest in making a deal for him, sources said.
It’s unlikely the Hawks hold this stance for long. This feels more like a negotiating tactic than anything.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old Millsap is slated for free agency this summer. Any team that acquires him must factor in the risk of him leaving for nothing, in addition to the inherent risk of giving max or near-max money to an over-30 star on the back end of his prime.
Players in Millsap’s situation don’t typically garner huge returns because of those caveats. It’s likely the Hawks fielded some lowball offers from interested parties, then made the decision to keep Millsap—again, for now.
With the prospect of paying him big money in July looming large, Atlanta is bound to put its All-Star forward back on the block before February’s trade deadline—even if it’s only to once again test the market for his services.
