Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap (L) drives against the Boston Celtics' Amir Johnson. (Photo : Getty Images)
Latest NBA rumors are out that the Boston Celtics are targeting Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap as the team attempts to reunite him with his former teammate Al Horford in the parquet floor next season.
With the departure of Horford and starting point guard Jeff Teague, who joined the Indiana Pacers in a trade in early July, Millsap and Kyle Korver were the only ones remaining in the Hawks' vaunted 2015 All-Stars. It remains to be seen what would be the effect on Millsap's game when he shares the floor with new primadonna teammate Dwight Howard and new starting number one Dennis Schroder this October.
There were also speculations that Millsap is also planning to leave the squad next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent by opting out of his player option for 2017-2018, as per Sportsrageous. Again, that would depend on what kind of chemistry he will have with Howard and Schroder.
If the Hawks are really sold on moving forward with both Howard and Schroder as the anchors of their team, then it would be wise to trade Millsap now while his value is high than risk losing him for nothing next offseason as a free agent.
Today's Fastbreak indicated that the three-time NBA All-Star has an "uncertain future" in Atlanta because of the significant changes the team had made.
The report noted that the Hawks had been "one of the NBA's most pass-happy teams for years" as head coach and team president Mike Budenholzer managed to combine an ideal mixture of players according to their idiosyncrasies, which helped them fairly succeed even in the postseason albeit not in the championship level.
Millsap's unique strengths and weaknesses as a player was definitely a perfect fit in Atlanta for the past years, but the dynamics are expected to change once he touches the floor with new teammates this coming season.
It should be interesting to note how his game would be affected by the departure of his number one assist-man, Teague, and especially his perennial frontcourt partner, Horford.
Millsap and Horford are highly versatile big men that has speed and range even though they lack in size. They compensate that inadequacy with quickness, basketball smarts, teamwork, and knowing each other's moves before they even do it, things that will take time to develop between two individuals.
