Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
2025 Free Agents - Vit Krejci
Krejci was surprisingly a top-40 pick in the 2020 draft, as he was not even included on Sam Vecenie's top-100 board going into the draft nor was he in John Hollinger's top 70. However, after a couple years of not really being able get playing time for the Thunder, and being unable to make a roster spot in Minnesota, Krejci signed a two-way contract with the Hawks and was able to get some real playing time in '23-'24. He then re-signed with the Hawks in the 2024 offseason on a standard contract. Krejci has some solid passing and shooting skills for a 6'8" forward. The sample size was small, but he shot 45% from 3 in '23-'24. If you combine his total NBA and G-League career attempts, he's a 36% 3-point shooter, which is about average. He's not just a standstill shooter either, as he can create off the dribble. He has the playmaking skills to attack hard closeouts and get in the lane and find teammates. Defensively, Krejci has good size, but that's about it. He moves his feet okay but certainly isn't a plus defender. He isn't disruptive at all, barely getting any blocks or steals. He also gets very few rebounds. If Krejci can continue to hit shots at or near the level he did in '23-'24, he could stick around in the league. He will be 25 years old as a potential free agent in 2025, so he's not exactly a young prospect, but I think it's still reasonable to expect improvement going forward, especially since he has shown some recently.
Summary
Krejci's $2.3 million salary for 2025-2026 is non-guaranteed, and if he is waived he will become an unrestricted free agent and the Hawks will have no form of Bird rights on him. If he is waived, teams could claim him off waivers, but would need to fit his salary within cap space or an exception to do so, as his contract doesn't fit within the minimum salary exception as it was a four-year contract. If Krejci becomes a free agent, other teams will have multiple ways to sign him as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. If Krejci is waived and clears waivers, his value will likely have dropped low enough that he would only have offers for the minimum, and he may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.
Cap Considerations
Alec Burks (1 year minimum, 2024) Chuma Okeke (1 year minimum, non-guaranteed, 2024) Mac McClung (1 year minimum, non-guaranteed, 2024)