The Atlanta Hawks have some bad news for NBA teams that were hoping to acquire Paul Millsap before next month’s trade deadline.
The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Hawks GM Wes Wilcox started informing teams on Monday that Millsap is no longer available. He says the Hawks have determined they want to compete in the Eastern Conference rather than unload assets.
The Hawks were shopping Millsap over the summer, but that was when they thought they might re-sign Al Horford. They hung on to the forward after Horford signed with Boston, and they’ve been relatively successful going 21-16 this season.
Atlanta did trade Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers, which many thought was an indication the team was getting ready to turn into sellers. But they got back a first-round pick and Mike Dunleavy Jr. in return, so it appears they are not counting themselves out yet.
Another big reason why there has been a lot of buzz surrounding a potential Millsap trade lately — besides Atlanta trading Korver — is because the team expects the forward to opt out of his contract after the season and become a free agent. So if they’re going to lose him anyway, the thinking is they might want to trade him now when they can get something in return.
Millsap, 31, is averaging 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game this season and remains one of the top forwards in the league.
