Free agent forward Paul Millsap will return to the Atlanta Hawks despite flirting with a big offer from the Orlando Magic, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Millsap will sign a three-year, $58 million deal with the third year a player option, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
Paul Millsap agrees to 3-year, $58 million deal to stay with Hawks
Millsap will turn down a four-year, $80 million offer from the Magic to stay with Atlanta.
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Millsap weighed a four-year, $80 million offer from the Magic, but ultimately decided to stay in Atlanta even though DeMarre Carroll left for the Raptors. Millsap will now join Al Horford and newly-acquired Tiago Splitter in a deep, versatile frontcourt.
Behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love, Millsap entered free agency as the third best power forward. While making $9.5 million with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2014-15 season, he played at a level more like a max player. During the playoffs, Millsap did give Hawks' fans hope, telling the Washington Post, "We feel like we're going to do something special, whether it be this year, next year, or whenever. We're going to stick to this."
But Millsap wasn't the only Atlanta Hawks player entering free agency. The Hawks became pessimistic that they would have the money to sign both he and Carroll in the offeason, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. Carroll ultimately left for Toronto and Atlanta used the spare cap space to acquire Splitter from the Spurs. The Hawks now have a hole on the wing, but will counter with a deep frontcourt.
Entering his 10th season, Millsap is a premier power forward. At 6’8 and 245 pounds, he may seem undersized, but his ability to hit shots from deep stretches the court, especially in the fast-paced Atlanta offense.
After developing into a star in his seven seasons in Utah, Millsap has excelled in his two years with the Hawks, making two All-Star teams and leading the Hawks to the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. This past season he averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, enough to earn him a raise.
With Millsap now officially returning to the Hawks, they can concentrate on adding even more pieces to a team that was four wins away from making the NBA Finals. They are losing Carroll now that they've signed Millsap, but this was a deep team before injuries took hold at the end of the season -- including to Millsap, who struggled with a shoulder injury throughout the playoffs.
Now, the question is how they're going to get past the Cavaliers in the East. The Hawks can be happy they've locked Millsap down for a while. With Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Al Horford returning, the Hawks are going to be dangerous in 2015-16, too.
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