The Atlanta Hawks have appeared to fill their hole at backup center, and it is going to be the same backup center they had after the trade deadline. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Hawks are bringing back Jock Landale on a one-year, $14 million deal. Landale was acquired from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline for cash considerations, and Landale played in 23 games for the Hawks, averaging 9.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG while shooting 39% from three. It had been reported that the Hawks were interested in bringing back Landale to the team, but there were other interested teams who were reportedly going to give Landale more than the bi-annual exception ($5.5 million) and with the center market drying up for the Hawks, they decided to bring him back for another season. Let's break down this deal and give it a grade. Landale's ImpactMar 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) on the court before the game against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectWhen you look at the $14 million number, that is going to surprise a lot of fans and NBA observers who may not have been aware of how good Landale was for the Hawks after arriving last season. Landale gave them the ability to stretch the floor, toughness, physicality, and rebounding. This was more than what most thought Landale would get in free agency, but on a one year deal, $14 million is just a slight overpay and nothing that is going to hamstring the Hawks further down the line. Another thing that needs to be stressed: Atlanta was running out of options when it came to acquiring a center. The Hawks clearly felt comfortable with Landale and what he brought to the team last season and knew they could overpay for one year of his services when it came down to it. One after another, potential Hawks targets came off the board. The Thunder extended Isaiah Hartenstein, Jusuf Nurkic is back with the Jazz, Robert Williams III re-signed with Portland, Day'Ron Sharpe re-signed with the Nets, and there are no slam dunk options to trade for. Mitchell Robinson would have been more expensive as well if the Hawks wanted to pursue him. On the trade market, would the Hawks have been better off trading for Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Jakob Poeltl, or someone else? Those players are on bad contracts and would have cost assets to get. On the restricted agency front, it would have been tough for the Hawks to pull off a deal for either Jalen Duren or Walker Kessler. Kessler would have been a great fit, but the Jazz would have been able to match any offer the Hawks could have made, unless it was an irresponsible offer. I think this is the Hawks kicking the can down the road a little bit when it comes to finding another impact player at center. That does not mean that I think Landale is going to be bad as a backup, he showed last season that when given more responsibility and playing time, he can be pretty effective. A big question for the Hawks is going to be about how healthy they can stay. When Landale went down late in the year, Atlanta was stuck with having to play Mouhamed Gueye and Tony Bradley at center. If Landale goes down, right now, the Hawks only have Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar behind him, two rookies who might not be ready. $14 million is a slight overpay for Landale, especially if he can't replicate or build on the season that he just had, but given the options the Hawks had, how well Landale played with the team, and the fact that it is just a one-year deal, this is perfectly reasonable from Onsi Saleh and the Hawks front office. Grade: BAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow