Atlanta Hawks Interested in Acquiring Kelly Olynyk and Jae Crowder
The fallout from Gordon Hayward's decision to join the Boston Celtics will be felt around the league in the days and weeks to come. They finally found the third star to put alongside Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford, but they will have to move some of their key players to make room for Hayward's contract.
Stretch big man Kelly Olynyk was the first to go when the Celtics pulled his qualifying offer to make him an unrestricted free agent. However, he might not be on the open market for long because he already has suitors waiting in line to sign him.
According to USA Today's Sam Amick, the Atlanta Hawks are one of the teams that are interested in signing Olynyk.
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Olynyk may be seven feet tall, but he's not exactly a rim protector or an elite rebounder. He's one of the best three-point shooting big men in the league, though, and he's a valuable player to have in the "pace and space" offense that teams prefer to run these days. Olynyk can present matchup nightmares for centers around the league with his skills.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn has reported that the Hawks are targeting Jae Crowder as well.
Crowder is a solid two-way player, and as many have mentioned before, the five-year, $35-million deal he signed a couple of years ago is seen as one of the best value contracts in the league today.
The Hawks may have to hurry up and discuss a trade with the Celtics if they want Crowder because he may not be available soon. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Utah Jazz and the Celtics are working on a potential sign-and-trade deal involving Crowder and Hayward.
The Hawks may have to consider rebuilding after losing Paul Millsap, but they have a bright future ahead of them if they can acquire Crowder and Olynyk.
