NBA teams hoping to land Atlanta Hawks star forward Paul Millsap before next month’s trade deadline received some bad news Monday.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Millsap won’t be put back on the market or that he won’t be traded. Things can change quickly, and if the Hawks receive an offer too good to refuse, it should at least be considered.
Millsap is able to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Atlanta cannot afford to lose him for nothing. That already happened last summer when Al Horford — arguably Atlanta’s best player — left the Hawks as a UFA and signed with the Boston Celtics.
The Hawks aren’t a realistic contender in the Eastern Conference. They aren’t better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors or Boston Celtics. Keeping Millsap just to contend in the East doesn’t make much sense.
If there’s even a slight chance he could leave in the summer, the smart move would be to trade him before the deadline.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
