The Atlanta Hawks are going to have trouble re-signing everyone on their roster as both Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll are looking for pay raises. After both players had standout seasons with the Hawks' record-breaking year, they are getting plenty of attention from teams with more salary cap space than Atlanta has entering the offseason. Will the Hawks be able to keep both Millsap and Carroll or will replacements need to be found?
According to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN, Carroll is expected to command a four-year, $50 million contract in free agency. Carroll's stock skyrocketed throughout the season and while he has expressed interest in returning to Atlanta, he also wants to get paid. Millsap is the feeling the same way as the forward is eyeing a max contract with teams willing to give it to him. Head coach Mike Budenholzer wants to keep the team together, but someone will have to take a pay cut to make it work.
According to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Hawks have dead-weight players they could trade or release and re-sign Millsap and Carroll, but that would still leave them with little room for more upgrades. The Hawks need a better wing player. They need rebounding off the bench. Elton Brand, John Jenkins and Gustavo Ayon all have contracts that can be renounced. Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott have trade value that could free up even more space.
The question is whether Carroll and Millsap will chase money or wins. Both players saw their stocks rise thanks to the system of Budenholzer. Having everyone return for their second full season all playing together (considering Al Horford was out for most of the 2013-14 season) would mean the Hawks have a real chance of getting back to the Eastern Conference Finals. If both players were to depart, the Hawks will have to get creative in who they chase.
According to ESPN, Marc Gasol has hinted that he could be interested in Atlanta. That would make up for one of the departures. Gasol could easily be interested as the starting center while Horford is versatile enough to move to power forward. Brook Lopez could also be a solid option to fill that void.
The Hawks also have the No.15 pick in the upcoming draft and could easily find some real talent in it. According to Bleacher Report's latest mock draft, the Hawks could be eyeing Kevon Looney out of UCLA who could help fill a Millsap-sized hole on the roster. The power forward averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Bruins in his freshman season before declaring for the draft. ESPN's Chad Ford had the Hawks selecting Frank Kaminsky for the same purpose. The Hawks have options as long as they trust the system and Budenholzer's ability to work with players that are not marquee stars. However, re-signing both Millsap and Carroll would be Plan A for the team.
