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I think we’re committed to it,” Schlenk said. “Obviously our pick is going to be a top-10 pick, so obviously we’ll keep that, unless some great offer came our way, something we couldn’t turn down. But according to Schlenk, they’ll look for the best player available and not focus as much on fit. 

“We could be anywhere between 1 and 8,” Schlenk said. “Last year, we were going in at fifth and we end up at 8 because three teams jump in front of us, so a lot of that is just going to depend on where we end up picking. But we’re going to take who we feel like is the best player there. We’re not going to position it.

What we’d like to do, ideally, is add guys to our core that we feel like are still growing, maybe not 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds like we have, but maybe guys in their mid-20s who still have room to improve and are maybe coming off their first contract, or that we feel like would be good additions to our group, and try to increase our depth a little bit.” 

Don’t be surprised if the Hawks show a little more aggression in free agency than they have in years past.

“If there’s guys that we think are good fits, we might be out of the gates a little bit sooner,” Schlenk said. “I think the thing I’m always hesitant of is a lot of the times the first couple of contracts handed out might not be the best ones, the ones that look the best on paper.

“I think it’s conceivable that we might make some offers before we have in the past, whether or not teams or I should say agents or players want to jump at the offers we make right away, or see if there’s something better out there, might prevent us more from signing someone right away, but I do anticipate us being a little more assertive in free agency. … It’s all going to come down to the cap.”

jayu70 wrote:

I think we’re committed to it,” Schlenk said. “Obviously our pick is going to be a top-10 pick, so obviously we’ll keep that, unless some great offer came our way, something we couldn’t turn down....What we’d like to do, ideally, is add guys to our core that we feel like are still growing, maybe not 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds like we have, but maybe guys in their mid-20s who still have room to improve and are maybe coming off their first contract, or that we feel like would be good additions to our group, and try to increase our depth a little bit.” 

The Biggest Decision Every NBA Team Will Have to Make This Offseason

Atlanta Hawks: How Do We Maximize Trae Young?

We start with a question instead of a decision, and the Atlanta Hawks should frame all of their moves around the answer.
Does Trae Young need an offense-first power forward, or would the Hawks' resources be better spent on a different type of player at that position? There's your rubric for deciding on a John Collins extension.

Does Young need a veteran scorer at his side, or would he benefit more from more supporting depth and a defensive-minded backcourt partner? That'll inform whether Atlanta's significant cap space should go to someone like the costly Danilo Gallinari or be spread around a bit more, with Kris Dunn being a key target.

The implication underlying this reductive problem-solving process is that Young is good enough to be a player around whom all other roster decisions are made. That should be encouraging for Hawks fans.