NBA Rumors: Latest on Hawks' Free-Agent Interests, Dion Waiters' Status
Sports fans love what-if scenarios, and thanks to the constant reporting of well-sourced journalists, no league has more behind-the-scenes action reach the public eye than the NBA.
Had a couple of rookie-scales contract extensions not been met, the Atlanta Hawks might've emerged as a serious player next July.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, they were interested in Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis and Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown. The duo would've headed to restricted free agency, but they signed new deals with their respective teams.
The interest, at least in Sabonis, is entirely sensible.
Led by point guard Trae Young, the Hawks have a promising group of perimeter players. They picked up marksman Kevin Huerter in the 2018 draft and added two small forwards in De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish during the 2019 edition. DeAndre' Bembry is steadily growing into a larger role too.
But the frontcourt could use some assistance. John Collins is a foundational player, but Alex Len has an expiring contract, per HoopsHype, and Jabari Parker has a two-year prove-it deal.
Sabonis, meanwhile, is thriving so far in 2019-20. His current averages of 21.8 points and 11.4 rebounds would be career-high clips, crushing his previous marks of 14.1 and 9.3, respectively.
It's no wonder Indiana paid him nearly $80 million.
Given its depth on the perimeter, Atlanta didn't necessarily need to pursue Brown, especially at the $100-plus million price tag he eventually cost the Celtics.
Still, he's a quality player, and the Hawks have the cap space available to overspend on one marquee player. Atlanta only has $33.4 million committed to the roster next season, so the Hawks may be a player in free agency anyway.
Plus, of the expiring deals, the front office might only consider re-signing Len. They absorbed the contracts of Chandler Parsons, Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe to clear cap space and add draft capital, not because they're in long-term plans.
The Miami Heat, meanwhile, seem desperate to find an Atlanta-like trade partner for Dion Waiters.
Sunday, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the shooting guard was on Miami's active roster for the first time in 2019-20. However, he neither participated in warmups nor sat on the bench during the game.
Waiters was suspended for the Heat's opener because of conduct detrimental to the team. He's yet to make his season debut.
Considering how Miami has played, there isn't much reason to provide those minutes anyway. The Heat wrecked the Houston Rockets 129-100 and improved to 5-1.
According to HoopsHype, Waiters is due $12.1 million this season and $12.65 million in 2020-21. Miami has the league's fourth-highest payroll, so shedding this contract―particularly for next season―would be beneficial. But a trade won't be easy to engineer.
For now, they're stuck. And Sunday probably won't be the last time Waiters is in the building yet not on the bench.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
