Atlanta Hawks: Danny Ferry covets wing player but no hurry to add one
Yes, Hawks GM Danny Ferry is considering using the final open roster spot (assuming Ivan Johnson eventually signs his qualifying offer) to add a small forward.
“I would say probably a wing that can compete defensively at a high level would be a good thing to be able to add at some point,” Ferry said.
Ferry taking his time with 15th roster spot. (Photo: Johnny Crawford/AJC)
But, no, that doesn’t mean he’s in a hurry to acquire such a player.
“That may happen,” Ferry said. “How that happens, I can’t sit here and tell you. Could it be someone we sign? Could it be a trade at some point and, if so, when could that be? Trades happen in their own time. We have until February to do it.”
And, Ferry said, if the Hawks do sign a free-agent wing, it’s likely the player would have to accept a non-guaranteed contract.
“There is a good chance we will carry 15,” he said. “But preferably that 15th person will be on a ‘make good’ situation that allows us the flexibility needed in case injuries happen and so on. Being locked into 15 [guaranteed contracts] is generally not ideal.”
Players with non-guaranteed deals are easier to include in trades because the team that acquires them can release them to save money. All players contracts become guaranteed on Jan. 10.
Ferry presumably is waiting to see who he can get through a trade or on a non-guaranteed deal because the wing players still on the market aren’t enticing enough to offer a guaranteed contract now. The wing also could come from among those on Atlanta’s summer roster, though Ferry said he and his staff still are deciding which free agents to invite to veterans’ camp.
The next key date for the Hawks is Sept. 11. That’s when the players acquired in the Joe Johnson trade and Devin Harris will be eligible to be used in trades that aggregate their salaries under CBA rules (60 days after they were acquired).
For now, the Hawks will stick with Kyle Korver as the closest thing to a true wing. But, considering Ferry’s flurry of transactions in his short time with the Hawks, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a trade this summer or early in the season to reconfigure Atlanta’s unbalanced roster.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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428 comments Add your comment
ag
August 11th, 2012
8:51 am
I think the article is saying a lot. First, Ferry is in no rush to make a deal. Sescond, he cannot trande anyone he acquire until September. I really think D. Harris or Morrow maybe a couple of players will be included in a deal. I do wish we can acquire a Wilson Chandler.
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
9:12 am
Ferry wants “A SF that competes defensively at a high level”
UGA
August 11th, 2012
9:19 am
I could go for Wilson Chandler. Also think Austin Daye is available for trade.
I could see us getting Sam Young on a non-guaranteed. He seems like he fits the profile of what we want.
And unless we signed Benson, we only have 13 roster spots now, we never signed Mike Scott. We already have 4 power forwards so I have no idea why we need him anyway
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
9:20 am
“I would say probably a wing that can compete defensively at a high level would be a good thing to be able to add at some point,” Ferry said.
PGS: Josh Smith
Najeh: Mike Dunleavy
And Josh is not a top 3 pf. He does nothing a power big man should do.
He’s a wing who can guard some big men.
brigadierjerry
August 11th, 2012
9:26 am
I think Bynum will stay. He grew up about over an hour from Philly and he will essentially be the man in Philly. Will depend on how mature and focused he is. He may look to bolt if it goes south and they get off to a bad start. A lot of Philly development will depend on Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner who they seemed to have given the keys too with Iggy gone. They also have Richar4dson who while not as good as he used to be is serviceable. Bynum is their best center they got since Mutumbo. Interesting with Bynum in Philly now the Atlantic Division will definetely have 4 teams make the playoffs celtics, nj/ny and philly.
Then you have Miami as a lock which would make 5 and the Pacers as another lock makes 6. Bulls are an unknown to me right now but at the worst, you will then have teams such as the Hawks, Bucks, Pistons, Cavs, Toronto fighting for 1 possibly 2 playoff spots.
I do think the Hawks make the playoffs
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
9:28 am
Kyle O’ Quinn was signed but Mike Scott who was selected 5 spots ahead ain’t. I hope Scott gets cut.
No need to drag out mistakes. He can’t guard anybody or get to the line to make up for it.
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
9:29 am
Romney just introduced Paul Ryan as “the next president” lol
northcyde
August 11th, 2012
10:05 am
When you look at who will be Restricted and Unrestricted free agents, these are the Hawks choices
Top 10 Unrestricted free agents in 2013
- Dwight Howard
- Chris Paul
- Andrew Bynum
- Al Jefferson
- Josh Smith
- Paul Milsap
- Manu Ginobli
- Kevin Martin
- David West
- Stephen Jackson
Top 10 Restricted Free Agents in 2013
- Blake Griffin ( re-signed with the Clippers for the Max )
- James Harden
- Stephen Curry
- Tyreke Evans
- Ty Lawson
- Brandon Jennings
- Serge Ibaka
- Jrue Holliday
- DeMar Derozen
- Jeff Teague
There’s your list folks. And there’s a good bet that we’re almost certainly going to have to overpay to keep Smith in the mix ( similar to what happened with Joe Johnson ). And if we want a PG, re-signing Teague may be the cheapest option to go with.
So there you go folks. With Dwight Howard virtually out of play, and Chris Paul all but certain to not come here, re-signing Josh Smith and Jeff Teague are probably the targets. If they aren’t, you’re talking about overpaying to bring someone else in here . . . or going all the way cheap and only filling the roster with mid to low level players.
As UPS says . . . “What can cap space do for you?”
northcyde
August 11th, 2012
10:10 am
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
9:20 am
“I would say probably a wing that can compete defensively at a high level would be a good thing to be able to add at some point,” Ferry said.
PGS: Josh Smith
Najeh: Mike Dunleavy
And Josh is not a top 3 pf. He does nothing a power big man should do.
He’s a wing who can guard some big men.
********************
Nope . . .
Other than rebound ( 5th amongst PFs ) . . and block shots ( 2nd amongst PFs )
But people still want him to play SF on a full time ( or mostly full time ) basis?
hawksfancents95
August 11th, 2012
10:34 am
northcyde of your list of players here is a few scenarios..
We get Josh near max, ginobili for 3 year/30mill or kevin martin 3/30mill or try demar derozan 4/40mill
we try for brandon jennings and let jeff walk, maybe bj3 4/40 mill
also timothy mozgov is unrestriced i believe and we might be able to get him for 3/21mill something of that sort and he is looking good at a true 7′, he’d be an upgrade over ZaZa.
2013-2014 Hawks if it falls together in my way:
PG- Brando Jennings 10M
SG- Manu Gnobili 10M
SF- Josh Smith 15M
PF- Al Horford 12M
C- Timothy Mozgov 7M
I know everyone cant live without a superstar but if we get solidarity at every position and play as a true team, and keep our two 1st round picks we may have a deep bench and no real loose ends.
ag
August 11th, 2012
10:44 am
Sautee – I agree from your post last night. I cannot believe all the Al Horford hate. After watching ZaZa and Collins – I will enjoy watching one of the top tier centers in the league.
Jermaine O’Neal is also available. Does anyone think he would look good in a Hawk uniform?
Ken Strickland
August 11th, 2012
11:02 am
OBRIEN-If Dwight was so interested in playing with his best friend Josh, don’t you think he would have listed the Hawks as one of the teams he would like to be traded to? If he had done that, and agreed to resign, he’d be a Hawk right now and teamed up with his childhood friend(s). Wishful thinking won’t change the fact that playing with Josh, IN ATLANTA, wasn’t/isn’t one of his desires.
In fact, all of the negative info that Josh has fed him over the last few yrs about the coaching, ownership, fans, and his desire to get the hell out of here, could very likely be what turned him against wanting to play for the Hawks.
Artman
August 11th, 2012
11:26 am
Orlando gave Dwight away for spare change. Will they have any fans left after this?
steven a smith
August 11th, 2012
11:30 am
Sign Greg Oden please. Risk vs Reward. I believe he is worth taking a chance on. Someone has to step up and give him another opportunity.
Ken Strickland
August 11th, 2012
11:32 am
NORTHCYDE-You are assuming that we will only consider the FA route to acquiring a SF. As of Sept 11, we can trade any of the players we acquired in the JJ and Marvin trade. That might be the way Ferry prefers to go, since it trades salary for salary and doesn’t affect our cap space. It also allows us to get something for a player, or players, that we’ll most likely not resign anyway.
And just for the record, I’d do a sign and trade of Josh and a pick, or Zaza, for Bynum.
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
11:33 am
Horford wouldn’t be a top 3 pf, but he can guard some of them.
Josh has a chance to be a top 3 sf, given that we’ve seen his blocks(#1), rebounding(#1), steals transfer and his ability to switch won;t be undermined by average team’s rebounding. The defensive efficiency when he’s on the floor with 2 big men should become elite.
If I could I’d flip Horford for a true scoring banging PF. But where you going to get that.
But people should know Josh is the lynchpin.
Josh Smith and the Hawks have been special when he’s played the 3. No one on this roster wants a Atlanta title more than Josh Smith, so it’d be best to put him at the 3 some times, bench Korver and start Zaza.
I don’t know if that means Josh plays the 3 “most of the time” but if you’re playing Lebron/Anthony/Durant you start Josh on Lebron not Kyle Korver.
steven a smith
August 11th, 2012
11:35 am
Mike Scottt playe great Basketball in the summer league. There is a chance he could stick as a “3″ for the Hawks. He is a solid Post player and defender,
pointguardslim
August 11th, 2012
11:37 am
In fact, all of the negative* info that Josh has fed him over the last few yrs about the coaching, ownership, fans, and his desire to get the hell out of here, could very likely be what turned him against wanting to play for the Hawks.
———
Don’t you mean insider info? As if there was any positive info over the years for Josh to feed him?
Joe & Josh carrying Josh Childress’ career? Marvin’s? Jason “big $$” Collins was embarassing to defend Dwight?
As if the cheapness and JJ saying he don’t care about the fairweather fans on national TV as Dwight-led team smashed the Hawks by 100 points wouldn’t do it.
steven a smith
August 11th, 2012
11:40 am
The players who will make the Atlanta Hawks “contenders” are either playing high school or college Basketball. Having said that, they must parlay more of their “Veteran Scrubs” into higher Draft Picks.
Ra'mon
August 11th, 2012
11:42 am
PGS, if You’re playing Lebron, you should start someone like Korver more than Josh at the 3. The simple reason is 1) Battier will probably be playing the 4 position, and 2) Korver at the 3 stops Lebron from being able to roam, which he can do when guarding Josh on the perimeter. With Zaza and Al on the floor, you give Josh limited space to post up on the block because Zaza isn’t a good mid range shooter. And then also you only have one shooter left on the court (because Teague isn’t a shooter). Two shooters, one point guard, and two post players in Josh and Al will be better than your alternative. If the Hawks had someone like Dirk or another big who can shoot extremely well beyond the arc, that would be different.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
11:43 am
Anyone noticed that Mitch Kupchak looks taller than Dwight at the press conference and they have Mitch listed at 6-9 in wikipedia…. Hmmm, did back surgery shrink Howard….lol
steven a smith
August 11th, 2012
11:44 am
The time to “dump” J. Smoove is now. Josh Smith will not get any better. We can move forward with younger and smarter players. The guys we have right now, Smoove and Al, are not smart NBA players.
Ra'mon
August 11th, 2012
11:44 am
By the way PGS, last season Josh played more Center than he did SF. So the first season where he played majority of his minutes NOT on the wing, he produced his best season to date. And now you want to change that? I’d rather have a Josh who is averaging 18 and 9 at PF, than a Josh who is averaging 20 and 6 at SF.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
11:50 am
When this season starts, the Lakers would have arguably 4 of the top 10 centers to every play the game and didn’t draft none of them…. I’m going to exclude George Mikan b/c he came along during the time when leagues were merged….
Ra'mon
August 11th, 2012
11:54 am
I’m sorry Melvin. But as much as I like D12, he is NOT in the top 20 centers to ever play the game in my book.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
12:05 pm
Northcyde,
I talk about the 2013 free agent class several blogs ago. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they will have cap space when the FA class is not that deep. 2012 free agent class far better than 2013. I hope the Ferry doesn’t overpay for mediocre free agents like Detroit did with Gordon and Charlie V.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
12:07 pm
Ramon,
I respect your opinion but you do get my point how the Lakers acquire top talent. Heck, they didnt even draft Kobe….
Ra'mon
August 11th, 2012
12:10 pm
In fact, I wouldn’t take D12 over Mutombo, Mourning, Ewing, Sabonis, Smits (very underrated in my book), Robinson, Duncan (he’s a center, don’t care what they say), Divac (in his prime). And that’s before you even start talking about the legends and Shaq/Hakeem.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
12:13 pm
ag,
Jermaine O’Neal agreed to sign with the Suns today…
Ra'mon
August 11th, 2012
12:14 pm
Melvin, you’re right. The Lakers are the Yankees (although the Yankees do draft some of their talent). The funny thing is that Los Angeles have never been on the wrong end of a trade in the last 15 seasons (even though Philly and Denver were the big winners in this trade). If I’m a GM, I wouldn’t do any trade with the Lakers. Could you imagine if the league didn’t stop the CP3 trade last season, the Lakers STILL would’ve been able to trade for Dwight because they only gave up Bynum and a pick. So the Lakers would have CP3 instead of Nash, and still been able to sign Jamison and Meeks. Also they’re now considering adding Kenyon Martin.
Melvin
August 11th, 2012
12:22 pm
Ra’mon,
Amen. I wouldn’t do trades with the Lakers either. They will acquire the other team superstar player and then sell the other team on the idea of having cap space and draft picks to built for a future that will never happen. In the meanwhile, the Lakers would add a player that would catapult them to the NBA finals….
cdog
August 11th, 2012
12:50 pm
danny ferry is the man. he”s going to have this team ready to play for the title despite the commissioner trying to load up the big market teams with so-called superstars to make money. shows you the character of our society where sadly its rule by a dollar which will doom us in the end.love you mr. ferry, you the man!!!!
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
1:08 pm
As much as people hated Marvin around here, they may be longing for him come Christmas.
Not likely. Those who hated Marvin unequiocally due to whatever obsessive nature they have will never change their minds (or the subject, for that matter). Those who got tired of him being no more than he is will appreciate what he WAS capable of, and still remember that he was overpaid while doing it.
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
1:10 pm
Can only laugh at Dwight going to L.A. As if we didn’t ALL know it was going to go down that way. Especially after NJ began making moves that showed they were moving on….
OH well, will this stop Josh Smith’s positive attitude? Maybe, but it won’t stop him from trying to have a career year. He still has that new contract/free agency thing to consider. Now let’s see if he can play within the team concept or not.
If nothing else, it may result in LD getting jettisoned because he can’t control the team. One can only hope…
Ken Strickland
August 11th, 2012
1:24 pm
CDOG-You brought up a very interesting point about Ferry being able to get the job done. Before he came on board, and for various reassons like the lawsuit, the ASG wasn’t willing or able to extend themselves financially. Plus, BK and Sund got the team in trouble with bad contracts, some of which was done at the behest of former HC MWoodson. He was the one who wanted Bibby and Marvin resigned.
If you look at the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, and other franchises that have longterm winning track records, they have solid ownership and are always run by GMs that know talent and what they’re doing. Ferry came from the Spurs, so he’s well versed in how that works. He’s put the Hawks in position to take a major leap forward, and that’s with or without DHoward.
I’m certain Ferry will make a play for Howard, since he has everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying, but I believe he’ll make an even bigger play for Bynum. You don’t necessarily need the NBAs most physically dominant, and best DEF center, to become a championship caliber team. You can accomplished the same by having a combination of the NBAs 2nd and 3rd best centers(Bynum/Horford), who are also more offensively skilled and efficient.
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:26 pm
While yall bullsitting (h) we need a fcking center Damn a 3. Muther fckers
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
1:29 pm
I am amused with suggestions that folks are gonna miss Joe and Marvin, though. Yeah, if you’re more committed to the individual players than you are the team, that may be so.
Otherwise, I think a change of scenery, so to speak, won’t necessarily be a bad thing. Sure, the days the jumpers aren’t falling, the defense is letting everything through, and the coach looks clueless as far as a solution….those days won’t be fun.
But here’s the odd thing – we had that when Joe and Marvin were here. So I don’t see the difference. Names change, that’s about it. I think we’ll be less capable defensively, and Josh/Al are gonna have to work much harder on the boards, because the only rebounders I see on the top 7-8 rotation guys are Al, Josh, and Zaza.
That’s where you miss Joe and Al – on the boards (well, when Marvin decided to rebound, that is). And on defense (smaller defenders on our perimeter now).
But that’s Danny Ferry’s job to fix via trade or free agency. I don’t think he’s quite done, and for once….there are any number of ways our front office could go to balance things out.
Joe and Marv will only be missed by those on here who loved them best. By contrast, what they could and did do will be missed…but folks won’t be thinking about their names when that shows up in games and on the stat sheet.
Unless of course, Ferry finds creative ways to mitigate the problem. Of course, that also involves LD….so….
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
1:33 pm
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:26 pm
While yall bullsitting (h) we need a fcking center Damn a 3. Muther fckers
Troll,
Haven’t you heard? We have Johan Petro…
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:34 pm
Ken Strickland You are that horford worshiper that people are saying is clueless. We are trying to win a championship for the city of Atlanta so we wish youd shut up with the Al Horford mediocre player movement, you anal minded moron.
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:35 pm
Butt Ray, I said a center, not yo mama.
The Truth
August 11th, 2012
1:38 pm
“I would say probably a wing that can compete defensively at a high level would be a good thing to be able to add at some point,” Ferry said.”
“And, Ferry said, if the Hawks do sign a free-agent wing, it’s likely the player would have to accept a non-guaranteed contract.”
First of all, players of this calibre aren’t tradeable. No NBA teams will trade “high level” wing defenders regardless if they have redundancy or not. Second, if Danny expects to acquire such player for non-guaranteed contract.is more “wishful thinking”. Third, because the Hawks have loss some size with JJ and marvin gone, this replacement wing defender must also “size”. These types of apples just don’t grow on trees and certainly not in the NBA at basement prices.
If the Hawks had more versatile players, the wouldn’t be so concern about capping-out their roster. I’m still not certain of what Jordan William value to the team other than him taking up a roster spot. Maybe the player development dept. can bring out more of his skills. I like his size but I would like to say more.
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:41 pm
Butt Ray how can you call this a center and what are your projects for him as a member of the Hawks?
2011-12 Statistics
PPG 4.2
RPG 3.80
APG 0.8
EFF+ 6.24
Born: Jan 27, 1986
The Truth
August 11th, 2012
1:48 pm
“this replacement wing defender must also have “size””.
The Truth
August 11th, 2012
1:51 pm
“If the Hawks had more versatile players, they wouldn’t have so much concern about capping-out their roster.”
Stop Farting
August 11th, 2012
1:53 pm
Orlando actually did the right thing, They got something rather than nothing.
The Truth
August 11th, 2012
2:05 pm
“Michael Cunningham: #Hawks assistants K. Gattison and T. Hill will not return. ATL seeking 1 more coach in addition to pending hire K. Atkinson.” Twitter
It looks as though Atkinson gets promoted from a DD instructos to AC while NVE stays a DD instructor and take orders from Atkinson. All this while Danny interviews for Gattison defensive AC replacement.
I smoke pot too.
August 11th, 2012
2:07 pm
Al yall horford haters need to give it up. We like horford as a person. He doesnt have to produce. Hes is my hero and won the 22 Olympic gold medals the super bowl, the Ryder cup, the Stanley cup and every thing. Stop the hate.
Al horford forever!
The Truth
August 11th, 2012
2:11 pm
Bank it also that the AC Danny hires will ultimately become the Hawks next HC.
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
2:19 pm
Troll,
Haven’t seen anybody saying anything about your poster child (you know who). As for Petro, if you din’t recognize that as a joke from you, then it’s time to have a drink or a smoke.
Hence all the LOL faces at the end of my post. Petro’s been passed around this League like a $2 skank…
Big Ray
August 11th, 2012
2:20 pm
The Truth ,
That’s kinda my hope, although I have to admit to the fact that I don’t know what kind of coach Atkinson is.
I like the idea of Ferry putting together a good staff with a potential “take over” guy or two in the mix. For when LD gets the boot….