The Atlanta Hawks have cleared salary cap space, but have yet to find a player to use it on. The team originally cleared space in order to acquire Carlos Boozer off the free agent market when he was amnestied by the Chicago Bulls, but the Los Angeles Lakers got to him first. Now in need of filling at least one more roster spot, who can the Hawks chase with their extra space?
The Hawks have missed out on several free agent targets this offseason. They failed to sign Luol Deng, Lance Stephenson and now Carlos Boozer. Zach Lowe of Grantland spills some hard truths out for the Hawks, calling them one of the losers of NBA Free Agency. Plain and simple, no player will take Atlanta's money. Lowe credits the Hawks for having a strong core group of players and a strong coaching staff leading the way, but for some reason no star will meet with the team about interest.
While the franchise always seems to be rebuilding, 2013 was a push in the right direction. The Hawks were the surprise of the league, making it to the Eastern Conference playoffs and nearly upsetting the Indiana Pacers in seven games. They did all of that without the help of Al Horford who missed most of the year with an injury. With that moment, the Hawks are doing everything they can to improve and might have to get creative in deals.
Missing out on Boozer means the Hawks could become the major players in a deal for Greg Monroe. The Detroit Pistons continue to shop the center alongside Josh Smith in hopes that at least one deal gets done this offseason and ESPN's Marc Stein reports the Hawks as a potential contender. Monroe is a restricted free agent so the Hawks could either offer him a deal and hope Detroit does not match it or attempt to escalate a sign-and-trade.
Atlanta may not want to take on another long-term deal, which could halt their interest in Monroe who is ready to get paid either this season or next. A trade for the center likely means expectations of a contract extension. If the Hawks are still looking for productive big men to pair with Horford, they could aim for Andray Blatche who remains on the market. Shawn Marion is also an option considering he is unlikely re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks.
