The Atlanta Hawks only owned Kent Bazemore’s Early Bird rights, which prohibited them from offering a fifth season but they were still able to re-sign him amid competitive offers on a four-year, $70 million deal.

Bazemore seemed destined for a longish career as an end of the bench energy guy until he was traded by the Warriors to the Lakers at the deadline in 2014 and was finally given some legitimate minutes under Mike D’Antoni. The Hawks saw enough out of Bazemore to offer him a two-year, $4 million deal after the Lakers declined to extend him their $1.1 million qualifying offer that would have made him a restricted free agent. Bazemore was turning 25 and had averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals for the Lakers in 28.0 minutes per game but they thought they had a chance to sign LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony that summer. 

Bazemore parlayed his increased opportunity with the Hawks over the past two seasons to become one of the NBA's better 3&D wings. Bazemore is a solid playmaker off the dribble and was about league average in transition situations despite playing with tremendous energy.

Bazemore has shot 36.4 percent and 35.7 percent on three-pointers over the past two seasons. The Hawks’ offense was ranked sixth in points per 100 possessions in 14-15, but they dropped to 22nd this past season following the departure of DeMarre Carroll and the slow start by Kyle Korver. 

Bazemore is a good defender as a smaller wing, making him capable of taking the point guard assignment. Bazemore isn’t strong enough to hold up against bigger wings, but the versatility of flipping between the two traditional guards has clear value and he can take on most small forwards with his length and motor. The Hawks were surprisingly 1.4 points per 100 possessions better on defense without Bazemore this past season and similarly better the season before.

The Hawks gave up their first round pick a season ago for Tim Hardaway Jr., which protected them against losing Carroll and gave them another possible option on the wing beyond Bazemore. Paul Millsap and Al Horford have been the irreplaceable parts of Atlanta's system and a defense with perimeter shooting player like Bazemore could conceivably be replaced with a plug and play option at a considerably cheaper price even if it means a short-term regression. 

Atlanta is 0-8 in the playoffs over the past two seasons against the Cavs and re-signing Bazemore does nothing to change those odds since they still have nobody to defend LeBron James unless they go with the improbable and unlikely supersized frontcourt of Horford, Millsap and Dwight Howard.

Grade for Hawks: B-

Bazemore was hoping for a deal closer to $20 million per year but this is still an extraordinary amount of money for a 27-year-old with lifetime earnings under $6 million. Bazemore knows he can thrive within the Hawks’ system and is an inherently loyal guy that has loved playing in Atlanta making for one of the NBA's best feel good stories of the offseason.  

Grade for Kent Bazemore: A-