Report: Paul Millsap may require offseason shoulder surgery

The Atlanta Hawks had their season end in disappointment, and the toll a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals has taken is obvious.

Kyle Korver is set to undergo surgery. DeMarre Carroll is limping into free agency with a bad knee and turf toe. Thabo Sefolosha didn't even make it to the conference finals, though it had nothing to do with basketball.

That toll isn't likely to cost anyone more than Paul Millsap, who played in all 16 playoff games despite missing five games late in the season due to a right shoulder injury. He played well, if inconsistently, averaging 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 steals, but there were games when he didn't quite seem himself, and not quite the player who could earn a maximum contract as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Confusing his potential salary and explaining the occasional underwhelming playoff outing is a Tuesday report from Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:

The most serious of those is Millsap's sprained right shoulder, which caused him to miss five games in early April and has never fully healed. There are whispers that it might require surgery after the season.

The fact Millsap played through the injury suggests a surgery wouldn't be too serious, but there's a non-zero chance it turns some suitors off, or mutes the market for his services. He'd still be set for a big raise from the $9.5 million he earned this season, one he sounds as if he'd happily accept from Atlanta, but a potentially tumultuous Hawks offseason casts some shadow over what the roster will look like next year.

Whoever lands Millsap will be getting a quality two-way power forward, one capable of stretching the floor and working as a playmaker from all over the court. The 30-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.8 steals this season while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from long range.