The Atlanta Hawks announced today that starting center, Dewayne Dedmon would be out for the rest of the season after scheduling a non-surgical procedure to occur later this week. The procedure comes due to left ankle soreness that Dedmon has been experiencing since suffering an injury to it in September.

In the press release, the Hawks mentioned that Dedmon is expected to have a short rehabilitation period before being cleared to workout during the offseason.

This summer, Dedmon will be an unrestricted free agent. In his two seasons with Atlanta Dedmon has played a total of 126 and started 98 of those. Injuries have limited his impact, but when healthy he had found his slot as the team’s starting center. Dedmon provided a steady 10.4 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, a block per game, and found his outside shot morphing into a 37.2 percent three-point shooter.

Before coming to the Hawks in the summer of 2017, Dedmon had only attempted one three in his entire career. With Atlanta, he increased that total to 358 three-point attempts.

When Atlanta’s new head coach Lloyd Pierce first accepted the job last summer the first player he contacted was Dedmon. The two had previously both been members of the Philadelphia 76ers, Pierce and assistant and Dedmon a rookie on a 10-day contract.

Earlier this year, Pierce highlighted that Dedmon had taken a vocal role with the group. Courtesy of nba.com’s KL Chinouard, “He’s the loudest guy in the locker room – good and bad,” Pierce said smiling. “He’s just always talking, but he brings that to the court as well. His real contribution is on the defensive end: his energy and his communication. He’s always in the right spot.”

The procedure is the best long-term plan for Dedmon, and the hope is that the 29-year-old is in those plans for the Hawks as well. With the team putting his health ahead of their season that could be a choice that makes Dedmon comfortable with remaining with the team past this year. However, there’s more than goodwill that the center will need in order to re-sign this summer.

Dedmon has experienced his best season to date this year with Pierce and the Hawks. It is very likely that he will be 100 percent by the time free agency begins.