Dewayne Dedmon may not be a foundational piece for the rebuilding Atlanta Hawks, but that doesn't mean the team is prepared to move on from the veteran center. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks have interest in bringing Dedmon back on an outsized one-year contract or a shorter, multi-year deal that would allow them to maintain long-term financial flexibility.
Atlanta also has interest in potentially re-signing free agent center Dewayne Dedmon to a balloon one-year deal, according to sources — or a shorter-term contract like the two-year, $14 million deal he signed in 2017.
Dedmon, a six-year pro, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2018-19. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game, starting 52 of the 64 games in which he appeared. But his influence was more positive than those solid yet unspectacular numbers suggest given his development into a legitimate three-point threat from all over the floor.
Dedmon, 29, notched career-highs in both accuracy and attempts from beyond the arc last season, connecting on 38.2 percent of his 3.4 three-point attempts per game. He shot an above-average 35.8 percent on triples from above the break, too, evidence of his comfort spotting up across the arc – rare for a big man who developed three-point range late in his career.
Atlanta has a building block up front in John Collins, an immensely talented offensive player who's nevertheless a tricky roster fit given dis defensive limitations at both power forward and center. Dedmon, with his ability to shoot from deep and serve as an adequate rim-protector and occasional switch defender, proved a seamless fit next to Collins on both ends last season, while also making life easier on franchise point guard Trae Young.
Once the top-tier centers are off the board, Dedmon should be one of the most highly-sought free agent big men on the market come July.
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