Dewayne Dedmon

[...] Indeed, as shown with O'Quinn, the bevvy of exercised player options in the run-up to free agency was a clue as to how dry the big man market was going to be this summer, even for those who can stretch the court. Jason Smith ($5.45 million), Enes Kanter ($18,622,514), Mike Muscala ($5 million), Dewayne Dedmon ($7.2 million) and Kosta Koufos ($8,739,500) all opted into player options for this upcoming season, as did power forwards Thad Young ($13,764,045) and Darrell Arthur ($7,464,912).

Dedmon in particular was something of a surprise; perhaps buoyed by the fact that he earned an extra $900,000 on his contract by virtue of his play last year meeting the threshold for previously unlikely incentives, he opted to stay with the Hawks and his below-MLE deal, despite being ostensibly everything the league is supposed to now want. A below-30 genuine five man who can stretch the floor, protect the rim and clear the glass could not get enough interest to opt out of a good value contract. As it turns out, it was not just the post centres who suffered - the market even for good quality stretch fives was not there, either. [...]

Dewayne Dedmon
C - 7’0, 245lbs - 28 years old - 5 years of experience

The former shot-blocker is now a face-up five man. Dedmon has long been a better mid-range shooter than his lack of poise around the basket would suggest that he was, but this year, he turned many of those possessions into three-pointers. Primarily a jump-shooting player, Dedmon still retains his pick-and-pop or bail-out pass foul line jump shot, yet he also now hits them from straight on behind the arc, too, and also had plenty of success sneaking down to the corners.

In tandem with retaining his defensive abilities around the basket, Dedmon also showed developed skills in reading opposing defences, passing the ball and knowing where to be. He is still not the most skilled offensive centre, yet he is pretty fluid and reliable, with clearly defined strong areas of the court and a shot that cannot be stopped. In an era of the skilled stretched five, Dedmon has made himself into a factor. And he also upped his rebounding rates, too.

Going forward, Dedmon has a player option for $6.3 million he surely will not exercise. He could definitely get that money again quite easily, and yet proved he is worthy of more, and certainly with more years attached. Dedmon took the de facto one-year deal with a team that he knew would struggle precisely because he could use it to audition himself on this year’s market. In doing so, he showed himself to be a versatile contemporary five man any team would benefit from.

This might be a bit unfortunate for the Hawks, but good work, Dewayne.

Player Plan: $7.2 million player option he has, surprisingly, exercised. Given his age, this could have been his best if not only chance at a good size long term contract. Nevertheless, he is here now - get something for him. He should have good trade value.

Dewayne Dedmon
C, 7’0, 245lbs, 27 years old, 4 years of experience

Played his way into the starting role, then got put back on the bench come playoff time, even with all the injuries around him. An athletic big in the mould that the team has not had before, Dedmon ran, blocked, caught lobs and rebounded at an extremely good rate. It was not without its fair share of mistakes and missed rotations, and the offensive skill is limited to being that of a finisher around the basket with an occasional jump shot than it is that of a creator in any way. Still, Dedmon brought a set of skills unique to this team and played well within them, so it was odd that he was left out towards the end.

Player Plan: Opted out and enters unrestricted free agency. Would be worthy of a room MLE deal but it is not a glowing endorsement that he fell out of the rotation come season’s end, nor does it make it likely that he will feel too wanted to return, so Dedmon seems likely to leave in free agency. (He should join the Cavs.)

Dewayne Dedmon - Dedmon signed about thirty five contracts last year and eventually wound up signing with the Magic through 2016. He is a fairly unique player, a prolific rebounder and decent defensive presence in the lane who takes quite a lot of mid-range jumpshots offensively, a factor of the game at which he continues to improve. His frame, mobility and hugely long arms were built to play the NBA pivot position, and Lord knows he can do for years if he can rein in the fouls and mistakes a bit. Dedmon's contract is unguaranteed for both this year and next, but given how Orlando is in the midst of a rebound, they ought stick with Dedmon and see what develops. They will not likely find a better centre prospect elsewhere.

Dwayne Dedmon - Twice signed and waived by the Rockets thus far this season, Dedmon's combination of size, agility and shot blocking instincts will keep him on the radar for many years. Dedmon even has a semblance of a jumpshot, hook shot and ball-handling game, tantalising in one so big. It may however take him many years to develop into a consistent NBA player - right now, he fouls too much to be in any way reliable.

The vast majority of players signed for training camp are signed to contracts without any guaranteed compensation on them.

This, certainly, is no surprise, as it has long been known that most players signed for training camp are not expected to make the team. A few players have fairly nominal guaranteed portions – for example, Dee Bost received $50,000 from Portland, Dewayne Dedmon $25,000 from Golden State, and Trent Lockett $35,000 from Sacramento. Most, however, do not. Teams are not involved in bidding wars for the Trey McKinney-Jones and Carlos Morais types, and thus there is no incentive to give any guaranteed money away.