Kent Bazemore entered free agency as one of the top free agent two guards on the market. The young guard would have plenty of offers, but after looking at all his options has opted to return to the team that gave him his first big opportunity as he re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta and Bazemore have agreed to a four-year, $70 million deal, which was first reported by The Vertical's Shams Charania.
There were other suitors, teams who offered Bazemore more money. David Aldridge reported that Bazemore turned down $72 million from the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, opting for the more stable franchise who shows a lot of playoff promise.
Bazemore should see an expanded role in Atlanta now that Jeff Teague is gone and the contract shows Atlanta has plenty of confidence in him. After averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season in around 28 minutes per game, those numbers should rise with an expected workload of 32-plus minutes per game. Atlanta's offseason has been busy with the additions of Dwight Howard, trading Teague and picking up a draft pick and with the Howard and Bazemore deal, the door seems firmly shut on Al Horford returning.