Atlanta Hawks 2023 Offseason Thread

[Jamaaliver]

Jaylen Brown is good...but not $60 million per year good.

Let's find and rehab an All Star big man on discount instead.

Ahhhh soooo! We need to find an All star big that needs rehabbing and on a discount... now who could that be?

Zion would be the dream acquisition.

Kawhi would be a major gamble. Ben Simmons would be too much of a gamble.

KAT would be too expensive.

Siakam is more realistic...and he already has a title. He can play next to Collins or Okongwu and he's a pending Free Agent in a year.





But the best option for a rehabbed All Star Big man -->

Spoiler:

Nikola Vucevic.

He shoots threes, he rebounds, he creates his own offense. He can space the floor enough for Okongwu to play inside. He's an adequate shot blocker as well.

He'll be available for a severe discount, but has been an All Star as recently as 2021. His career progression is similar to Brook Lopez's, but he's 2 years younger.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[D21]

Vucevic, LaVine and DeRozan have good individual stats, but I've always thought that the best CHI move was getting Ball, and that the other were not good at defense, and that despite having been All-Star, they would be an average team without the defense of Ball.
I'm happy to see that I was right from the beginning regarding this players.

Now, if Vucevic can be added for a good contract and allow to use Capela in a trade for another spot, why not, it would at least give one C that can spread the floor and certainly really improve the offense. But the defense will be the big question

I didn't vote because I would make changes on both frontcourt and backcourt, trading mainly Capela and Murray

I also fear that as long as they continue to allow Trae+Murray to take 45 shots a game, no good frontcourt FA will agree to sign here

[tbhawksfan1]

Damaged/overpriced stars I could see us pursuing this summer:

Paul George
Klay Thompson
KAT
Zion
Rudy Gobert
Khris Middleton
Pascal Siakam
Kristaps Porzingis

I don't want any of these guys. REALLY don't want some of them. Love your Vucevic idea though

What kind of S&T would you propose? They would probably love to get Murray...would they want CC? Could we trade them both? What would we get back added to Vuc?

[D21]

I don't want any of these guys. REALLY don't want some of them. Love your Vucevic idea though

What kind of S&T would you propose? They would probably love to get Murray...would they want CC? Could we trade them both? What would we get back added to Vuc?

Murray has less value here than with a team where he can PG only, but it's not a reason to sell him low, and swapping Murray for Vucevic is selling low IMHO.
Murray as a PG is a bit more valuable than Vucevic as a C

If we get Vucevic, it has to be via a small trade or MLE signing, because he's like DeRozan and LaVine, they are overrated because everybody look at their offense but not at their defense.

I just hope that there will be no trade done to go under the tax threshold, and that the team will add a MLE player and start paying the tax. If not, this team will remain where it is right now, 16th payroll and second round at best

[Jamaaliver]

D@mn.

Read on Twitter

[atlantabbq99]

D@mn.

Read on Twitter

Thank you John Collins.....

[tbhawksfan1]

D@mn.

Read on Twitter

FO got some serious work to do. We may not like it much

[Jamaaliver]

Watch on YouTube

[tbhawksfan1]

I feel bad Jamaal. My new what the Hawks gonna do offseason thread shouldn't have been done. You already had it covered here. Go ahead and merge mine into yours or something...

[Jamaaliver]

I feel bad Jamaal. My new what the Hawks gonna do offseason thread shouldn't have been done. You already had it covered here. Go ahead and merge mine into yours or something...

It's all good, man.

As long as we keep the conversations going all summer long, doesn't matter where it happens.

[CP War Hawks]

Watch on YouTube

This guy looks at the roster stats with a GPT like stance. Agree with him on most guys. He uses those Darko, Raptors, Lebron, etc. yeah I don't really know what those mean, not much into fantasy stats.

Collins - likes him but had bad year. Getting eased out of offense. Finger issue doesn't help and poor 3 point shot doesn't help spread the floor or trade value. Likes indy fit wise. Snyder coaching didn't help him on offense, not a fit anymore for the Hawks.

Trae - hit it on the head. Needs ball in his hand, not much use having him play off ball. Below avg year, but got better by the last month or so. Should build around him more efficiently.

DJM - good player, not the best fit for the team. Basically says if you make him main ball handler you struggle to reach playoffs.

Capela - says he kind of just hangs around value wise. Time to pull the trigger on trade. Could have a bounce back season, but seems to be trending slightly downward going forward.

OO - really likes his game and stats. Had him 3rd ranked in the draft. His blocks and free throw impact were positives for the team. Basically thinks he can be all nba defense team.

Bogi - good consistent shooter. Hints he's too old for the timeline. Works well with Trae.

Bey - doesn't like him as player. Highlights his weaknesses. Should be a bench guy strictly. I think his game really benefits the team, but another defender to cover his tracks wouldn't hurt.

Hunter - basically hates him. Doesn't generate enough defensive stats. Not impactful enough on offense.

AJG - likes him and his age. Eventual replacement for Bogi.

JJ - really intrigued by him. Expects big things. Says the advanced stats love him. Needs to be given a role with more minutes. I remember his SL games and was sold then. Really like what JJ brings to the team especially with Trae. They seem to play well together.

[Jamaaliver]

2023 NBA offseason preview for the Atlanta Hawks



The biggest change Atlanta made during the 2022-23 season was firing head coach Nate McMillan—who reportedly didn’t have a great relationship with Trae Young—and replacing him with Quin Snyder, the former Jazz coach. Snyder will have a voice in personnel decisions going forward, and it will be interesting to see what direction he wants to go with the roster.

Despite sliding down the standings and dealing away two unprotected picks (2025 and 2027) to the Spurs in the deal to acquire Dejounte Murray, the Hawks have plenty of players other teams want, so they aren’t lacking in assets. Improving the team’s defense—which ranked 22nd in the league this season—will be a priority going forward.

The Hawks’ Offseason Plan:

Spoiler:

Atlanta has 10 players on guaranteed contracts entering 2023-24 for a grand total of $162.3M. The projected luxury tax line is $162M, and owner Tony Ressler has never paid the tax since he bought the team in 2015.

Last offseason, the Hawks traded Kevin Huerter to the Kings to avoid being a taxpayer. Could another cost-cutting move be in store this summer? It seems highly likely, given the mediocre on-court results in 2022-23.

John Collins is the most obvious trade candidate on the roster, and his name has consistently been in the rumor mill for years now. The problem is, he’s owed $78.5M over the next three years and is coming off a career-worst season statistically. As such, his contract will likely be viewed as a negative asset by rival front offices.

General manager Landry Fields has publicly maintained that the team likes Collins, and the Hawks aren’t interested in simply shedding his salary. That’s understandable—it’s typical for incumbent teams to value their own players and nothing can be gained by undercutting Collins’ value—but it won’t have any bearing on how rival teams view the veteran forward.

Minnesota was interested in Clint Capela before trading for Rudy Gobert last summer, and I view the Swiss center as another logical trade candidate. He’s under contract for the next two seasons (for about $43M), but his backup, Onyeka Okongwu, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, and it’s hard to envision both players being on the roster by the time 2024-25 rolls around.

The biggest offseason question the Hawks face is what to do with the backcourt pairing of Young and Murray. Despite lobbying for Murray to join Atlanta, Young didn’t show much interest in playing off the ball this year; it was mostly Murray who adjusted in that sense. That isn’t ideal, because Murray only shot 34.4% from three-point range, and teams don’t treat him as an outside threat.

Still, while it would be nice to see more synergy and off-ball movement between those two and there’s always room for improvement, the offense is far from the main problem—the Hawks ranked seventh on that end in 2022-23 and have been in the top 10 in each of the past three seasons. The issue is, can two guards who ideally play the point hold up defensively? Young is one of the smallest players in the league and is always going to get targeted on that end, so it’s an uphill battle.

Of all the players under contract next season, I would be most surprised if Murray gets dealt simply because of what the team gave up to get him last year. He’s set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2024 and will likely be looking for a max contract, which puts Atlanta in a tough spot with Young already making the max and four other players making $17M+ in 2024-25. That doesn’t even include possible rookie extensions for Okongwu and/or Saddiq Bey, whom the team acquired for five second-rounders at the trade deadline.

Very little feels settled on this roster. Almost everything should be on the table if it pushes the Hawks in the right direction. That said, despite some speculation, I don’t see Young going anywhere this summer. Perhaps if next season goes really poorly the Hawks will think about it, but it seems like it would be prudent to see how he does with a full season under Snyder first.

There is a good deal of individual talent in Atlanta, and nearly everyone under contract in 2023-24 has positive or neutral trade value. There is depth at every position, and young players are complementing the veterans. All things you want when building a team.

But not many of the players are well-rounded, and the payroll is about to get very expensive just as the new Collective Bargaining Agreement—which is much more punitive to the league’s taxpaying teams—is set to kick in. The Hawks will have to strike a delicate balance of acquiring the right pieces to fit the roster while watching their salary because it’s clear more changes are needed.


Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

• Trae Young ($40,064,220)
• John Collins ($25,340,000)
• Clint Capela ($20,616,000)
• De’Andre Hunter ($20,089,286)
• Bogdan Bogdanovic ($18,700,000)
• Dejounte Murray ($18,214,000)
• Onyeka Okongwu ($8,109,063)
• Saddiq Bey ($4,556,983)
• AJ Griffin ($3,712,920)
• Jalen Johnson ($2,925,360)
• Donovan Williams (two-way)

Total: $162,327,832


Draft Picks
No. 15 overall ($4,033,440)
No. 46 overall (no cap hold)
Total: $4,033,440


Extension-Eligible Players

• Clint Capela (veteran)
• Vit Krejci (veteran)
• Dejounte Murray (veteran)
• Saddiq Bey (rookie scale)
• Onyeka Okongwu (rookie scale)

Cap Exceptions Available

• Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,000,000
• Trade exception: $6,292,440
• Trade exception: $2,564,980 Expires on September 27.
• Trade exception: $692,429 Expires on July 6.
• Trade exception: $46,120 Expires on July 6.

Yardbarker

[CP War Hawks]

Guaranteed Salary
Trae Young ($40,064,220)
John Collins ($25,340,000)
Clint Capela ($20,616,000)
De’Andre Hunter ($20,089,286)
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($18,700,000)
Dejounte Murray ($18,214,000)
Onyeka Okongwu ($8,109,063)
Saddiq Bey ($4,556,983)
AJ Griffin ($3,712,920)
Jalen Johnson ($2,925,360)

That's a nice group of players on paper. We might need to consolidate a couple guys. Maybe attach one of the young guys with Collins/Capela and see what shakes loose.

[D21]

Considering that it was with Bey that the team was at its worst in the playoff games, I would pick him to be traded with Capela.

And I have one target that you all know
With -4.6M in payroll with this trade, we are back under the Tax threshold and get higher MLE



Try to add Lopez or a SG that can defend a bit...
Or I would even adjust the trade and send Murray to get Hield + pick, but I doubt they would want Murray having Haliburton as PG

But Trae, Bogi, Hield, Griffin, Hunter, Collins, Jalen, Turner, Okongwu: shooters everywhere except Okongwu (who started to hit some 3s and will certainly hit more next season), spacing at will, Collins getting more space to attack the rim.

Later, if needed, package Hield+Hunter, or Hunter+Collins if Jalen improves a lot for a real SF upgrade

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks highlight NBA’s Summer of Stuckness

The Hawks overpaid for Dejounte Murray and now are out unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 … right after Murray hits free agency. The Hawks can’t extend him at a market rate, and thus, he will definitely hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Even then, re-signing him could get very tricky with the luxury tax.

Meanwhile, Atlanta sits $11 million above next year’s projected tax line with a 41-win team that has no rebuild option between now and 2027 (Related: I don’t see any Trae Young trade possibilities, sorry. A deal like that might help the Spurs more than Atlanta.)

The Hawks likely will burn up the phones to get under the tax line — if you haven’t heard, John Collins is available — and have a future first from Sacramento they can put into a deal. But who is taking on Collins for $78 million over the next three years? The Hawks aren’t a bad team or anything, but they’re very stuck right now...they have a lot of company.

The Athletic

[jayu70]

Hawks highlight NBA’s Summer of Stuckness

The Hawks overpaid for Dejounte Murray and now are out unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 … right after Murray hits free agency. The Hawks can’t extend him at a market rate, and thus, he will definitely hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Even then, re-signing him could get very tricky with the luxury tax.

Meanwhile, Atlanta sits $11 million above next year’s projected tax line with a 41-win team that has no rebuild option between now and 2027 (Related: I don’t see any Trae Young trade possibilities, sorry. A deal like that might help the Spurs more than Atlanta.)

The Hawks likely will burn up the phones to get under the tax line — if you haven’t heard, John Collins is available — and have a future first from Sacramento they can put into a deal. But who is taking on Collins for $78 million over the next three years? The Hawks aren’t a bad team or anything, but they’re very stuck right now...they have a lot of company.

The Athletic

They become unstuck by Tony willing to pay the tax, making a few tweaks and having Quin onboard.

[Jamaaliver]

^That is very optimistic...

[jayu70]

^That is very optimistic...

I have no hope that Tony is willing to pay the tax. He hasn't paid it once since he took over the team...and I'm not saying I don't want him to be judicious in paying it, but at some point total tax avoidance by trading good players to cut salary will leave us wanting.

[Jamaaliver]

^That is very optimistic...

I have no hope that Tony is willing to pay the tax. He hasn't paid it once since he took over the team...and I'm not saying I don't want him to be judicious in paying it, but at some point total tax avoidance by trading good players to cut salary will leave us wanting.

I meant the part that we are just a few 'tweaks' from true, consistent contention.

Truth is, we are a bad franchise. Our owner is an impatient buffoon. Our GM (and Asst GM) are inexperienced. We're on our 3rd HC in 3 seasons. And most of our players are massively overrated/overpaid/inconsistent.

We've already made massive changes in the front office. We've made massive changes to the coaching staff.

Now, we'll likely need massive massive changes to the roster to truly contend.

TL;DR — Trae’s great. But the rest of these bums need to be upgraded.

Summer 2021

^True then, true now.

[jayu70]

^That is very optimistic...

I have no hope that Tony is willing to pay the tax. He hasn't paid it once since he took over the team...and I'm not saying I don't want him to be judicious in paying it, but at some point total tax avoidance by trading good players to cut salary will leave us wanting.

I meant the part that we are just a few 'tweaks' from true, consistent contention.

Truth is, we are a bad franchise. Our owner is an impatient buffoon. Our GM (and Asst GM) are inexperienced. We're on our 3rd HC in 3 seasons. And most of our players are massively overrated/overpaid/inconsistent.

We've already made massive changes in the front office. We've made massive changes to the coaching staff.

Now, we'll likely need massive massive changes to the roster to truly contend.

TL;DR — Trae’s great. But the rest of these bums need to be upgraded.

Summer 2021

^True then, true now.

Mmmmm....did I say true contention?
What I've been saying (at least on the TnT board where I'm passing on most trades just salary dumping) is the Hawks want to avoid the play-in for a 3rd straight year and be in the top 4 next season. I think and at least hope, coaching will be a big part of that. Yes, the roster needs 'tweaking' to be more in line with what coach needs for his system. The good thing is he won't be starting from scratch having coach for 25+ games.