Atlanta Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore will opt into the last year of his contract, exercising a $19.2 million player-option for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Baze will play out the last year of his four-year, $70 million contract, one the Hawks have previously tried to get rid of throughout the trade deadline.
The 29-year-old will be 30 by the start of free agency and 31 by the time he becomes an unrestricted free agent following next season.
Like many other mid-tier free agents, Bazemore chose to take the money and wait, rather than compete with a slew of other free agents that will take a vast majority of the cap for teams around the NBA.
Opting out could certainly work against him, as the money becomes scarce after several top-tier talents have been signed to deals early in July.
The seventh-year wing regressed after a career-best season in 2017-18, averaging a mere 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists throughout this season. Bazemore also saw his time on the court decline after a poor shooting start to the season, starting only 35 of his 67 appearances and playing 24.5 minutes per game during this campaign.
Bazemore will be most likely dangled before the trade deadline, as the Hawks hope to get younger talent and quality veteran pieces to work alongside the young trio of Trae Young, Taurean Prince and John Collins.
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