What direction do the Hawks go now? (Offseason Meditations)

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Power Rankings: Did your favorite team get better?

Tier 3: Playoff Teams

8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Denver Nuggets

10. Atlanta Hawks

Major additions: Dejounte Murray (trade), Mo Harkless (trade), Justin Holiday (trade), AJ Griffin (draft), Frank Kaminsky (free agent), Aaron Holiday (free agent)

Major subtractions: Kevin Huerter (Sacramento), Danilo Gallinari (Boston), Kevin Knox (Detroit), Delon Wright (Washington), Gorgui Dieng (San Antonio)

Did this team get better? The Atlanta Hawks had a brilliant offseason and very much improved. The trade for Murray gives them a great complement to Trae Young in the backcourt on both ends of the floor. Losing Huerter and Gallinari can be tough, but bringing in Justin Holiday is a good plug for the perimeter in this rotation. The Hawks knew they couldn’t just bring the group back that disappointed last season under expectations. They needed some new blood, and now they have a real chance to build something dangerous in the loaded Eastern Conference.

The Athletic

[Jamaaliver]

Grading all 30 NBA team's offseason

Atlanta Hawks



Grade: A

I’m a fan of Atlanta’s offseason, especially because they added Dejounte Murray without giving up any of their core assets.

The former San Antonio guard is a lengthy, defense-first All-Star who made significant improvements as an on-ball scorer and playmaker last season. The Hawks desperately needed the help he will bring on defense, but I also like that it can allow Trae Young to show more of what he can do playing off the ball.

USA Today

[Jamaaliver]

2022 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams

Atlanta Hawks

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Grade: B+

Just a year after a surprising run to the conference finals that catapulted the Hawks into young contender status, they mortgaged their future by trading three first-round picks and a swap for Murray, who -- on paper at least -- is a near-perfect companion to Trae Young in the backcourt. They lost shooting with the Huerter trade, but that could be made up by some combination of first-rounder Griffin and Justin Holiday. Atlanta was missing a big, defensive guard and a secondary playmaker to Young, and it got both with Murray, albeit at a very steep cost.

CBS Sports

[Jamaaliver]

Something went down between Dejounte and Paola this summer...

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[Jamaaliver]

Ranking the NBA’s best offseason moves

2. Atlanta Trades for Dejounte Murray



2021-22 record: 43-39; lost in first round

Added: G Dejounte Murray (acquired from San Antonio); F Maurice Harkless (acquired from Sacramento); G Justin Holiday (acquired from Sacramento); C Frank Kaminsky (one year, $2.4M); G Aaron Holiday (one year, $1.9M); F A.J. Griffin (first round, 16th pick); G Tyrese Martin (draft rights acquired from Golden State); 2024 first-round pick (acquired from Sacramento)

Lost: F Danilo Gallinari, G Kevin Huerter, G Delon Wright, 2023 first-round pick (traded to San Antonio via Charlotte); 2025, 2027 first-round picks (traded to San Antonio); 2026 first-round pick (swap rights traded to San Antonio)

Returning from Injury: F Bogdan Bogdanović (knee)

The Skinny: We like big swings around here, especially by teams that are good — but not quite good enough to truly contend. So we love the Hawks leaning into Trae Young’s superstardom by getting him a young Jrue-like second in Murray, who made his first All-Star team last season and gives Atlanta a wildly athletic and ridiculously young (23 and 25, respectively) backcourt. Don’t know that Atlanta will ever be an elite defense, but Murray should keep opponents from relentlessly hunting Young on D. There are still questions going forward, to be sure. What will happen with John Collins, obviously on the trade block? Does his situation get resolved by training camp? And, while Murray shot under league average on 3s (.327) in San Antonio, Huerter clocked in at 39 percent last season and never shot less than .363 in his four seasons with the Hawks. Can Bogdanović and De’Andre Hunter, who’ve both missed large chunks of the last two seasons with injuries, stay healthy longer?

The Athletic

[tbhawksfan1]

Very nice youtube vid that highlights exactly what I see for our team this season

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[Jamaaliver]

NBA Teams That Improved Most During 2022 Offseason

Atlanta Hawks



Incoming: Dejounte Murray, Frank Kaminsky, Maurice Harkless, Aaron Holiday, Justin Holiday, AJ Griffin and Tyrese Martin

Outgoing: Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Delon Wright, Gorgui Dieng and Sharife Cooper

Adding Dejounte Murray alongside Trae Young will be one of the NBA's wildest experiments in 2022-23.

If you add assist percentage and usage percentage from last season, those two ranked fourth and second, respectively. Divvying up touches, shots and playmaking opportunities between them may not be easy.

But if they can figure it out, the Atlanta Hawks now have an absurd amount of passing ability, not to mention the best defender with whom Young has shared a backcourt.

In 2021-22, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He ranked in the 95th percentile in Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus, one of the most trusted catch-all metrics among NBA executives.

Adding him, a little wing depth (necessary, given the departures of Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari) and a floor-spacing 5 in Frank Kaminsky to Young (who was in the 98th percentile in EPM) should have this team back in playoff contention right away.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

It means a lot less nowadays since division winners are no longer guaranteed a top 4 seed, but I'd really like another SE Division Title. They've been few and far between for us the last couple of decades.

A division title
a 50-win season
a top-6 seed
and a 2nd round playoff appearance

...would make this season feel a lot more satisfying after a subpar showing in 2022.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Bogdan is progressing...

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Good news for the Atlanta Hawks as Bogdan Bogdanovic recently surfaced putting in the work on the court in Serbia. The uneasy situation turned into optimism with the prolific shooting guard progressing according to plan and looking to be fully ready for the next NBA season.

EuroHoops

[Jamaaliver]

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Atlanta Hawks



Additions: A.J. Griffin (2022 NBA Draft), Maurice Harkless (trade), Aaron Holiday (free agency), Justin Holiday (trade), Frank Kaminsky (free agency), Tyrese Martin (2022 NBA Draft), Dejounte Murray (trade), Trent Forrest (Two-Way)

Subtractions: Sharife Cooper (waived), Gorgui Dieng (Spurs via free agency), Danilo Gallinari (Celtics after being waived by Spurs after trade), Kevin Huerter (Kings via trade), Kevin Knox (Pistons via free agency), Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (unrestricted free agent), Skylar Mays (unrestricted free agent), Lou Williams (unrestricted free agent), Delon Wright (Wizards via free agency)

Remaining Acquisition Tools: $10.5 million Non-Taxpayer MLE, $4.1 million Bi-Annual Exception

Analysis: The Hawks have retooled their rotation around mainstays Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela. Atlanta brought in what they hope will be more defense and shooting, as they attempt to get back into contention after a down season.

Dejounte Murray was by far and away the biggest addition the Hawks made this summer. It cost Atlanta Danilo Gallinari and multiple first-round picks, but it should be worth it. The only reason it’s a “should” is because Murray’s fit alongside Young will take a little while to sort out. Murray is used to having the ball a lot, and he’s not great off-ball. Young is also a ball-dominant playmaker and scorer. Assuming they can mesh, the Hawks will have dual point-of-attack players that can score and create looks for others. And Murray is easily best defender on this roster already.

Beyond adding Murray, Atlanta swapped Kevin Huerter for Maurice Harkless and Justin Holiday. This move was driven by luxury tax concerns, but the Hawks did well to land Holiday. He’s a dependable shooter and should see plenty of minutes off the bench. Huerter’s shooting and scoring, as well as his passing and defense (both are better than you probably think), will be missed. But essentially, Murray is replacing Huerter, while Holiday replaces Gallinari. It’s a different look, and a smaller team, but it’s not likely to be any sort of downgrade.

None of the other changes, many as they were, screams huge upgrade or downgrade. The Hawks filled out the back of the bench with some veterans, which should help if there are injuries. The team still has their full MLE, but they are already pushing up against the tax line. That one may remain whole for a while, but could see a portion used during buyout season after the trade deadline.

To this point, despite many, many rumors to the contrary, Collins remains in Atlanta. That’s a good thing, as the Hawks didn’t really have a replacement ready in house for all Collins does for them. If De’Andre Hunter can stay healthy, and Bogdan Bogdanovic gets over offseason knee surgery quickly, Atlanta has the star power and depth to challenge for a top-6 spot in the East.

Spotrac

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

We don't have a strong enough locker room presence to keep this dude in line, but Markieff was one of the guys I was in favor of signing to improve our toughness and defensive intensity. He'll be useful in a series against Boston, Milwaukee or Miami.

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[Jamaaliver]

Projecting the East:

1. Boston Celtics
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. Brooklyn Nets
5. Miami Heat

9. Atlanta Hawks

Dejounte Murray’s addition has been praised by people across the league. Murray blossomed into an All-Star in San Antonio and has become the league’s next nightly triple-double threat. His overall impact adds great value to the Hawks, but his perimeter defense while flanking Young is what makes observers conclude Murray will be a snug fit.

Atlanta also did a good job procuring future value (a protected 2024 first-round pick) and immediate wing depth in Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless for Kevin Huerter. The fate of the Hawks’ season, however, seems too dependent on De’Andre Hunter morphing into a star and youngsters Onyeka Okongwu and 16th pick A.J. Griffin growing up fast. There’s also the matter of whether Miami exposed Young and John Collins in last season’s disastrous five-game, first-round series.

The Athletic

[hawks_fan25]

I think we’re going to run it with what we’ve got. The biggest key left for me is can Nate get the most out of our roster. I don’t think we’ve seen that yet. I believe the DJM-JC combo will be dangerous just as the TY-CC combo is. I know they’re all starting, but I’d love to see us stagger their minutes to keep one of those combos out there at all times. OO and CC are interchangeable to me so call it the TY-CC/OO duo. We don’t lose anything with OO out there so make sure we keep both OO and CC healthy by limiting minutes for each.

Holiday and Hunter are interchangeable to me at this point too. They have very similar shooting and defensive numbers and really both will just be asked to spot up in the corner and knock down shots when they’re open.

We’ll be a good team if we maximize the talent, but that’s the part that I am still not sure our coaches are good at doing.

[jayu70]

I think we’re going to run it with what we’ve got. The biggest key left for me is can Nate get the most out of our roster. I don’t think we’ve seen that yet. I believe the DJM-JC combo will be dangerous just as the TY-CC combo is. I know they’re all starting, but I’d love to see us stagger their minutes to keep one of those combos out there at all times. OO and CC are interchangeable to me so call it the TY-CC/OO duo. We don’t lose anything with OO out there so make sure we keep both OO and CC healthy by limiting minutes for each.

Holiday and Hunter are interchangeable to me at this point too. They have very similar shooting and defensive numbers and really both will just be asked to spot up in the corner and knock down shots when they’re open.

We’ll be a good team if we maximize the talent, but that’s the part that I am still not sure our coaches are good at doing.

Nate has to be more creative with his lineups and not be so rigid. No more all bench lineups. If the youngsters are expected to see some minutes, stagger them with starters to get the most value from them.

[Jamaaliver]

Travis and Landry's finalized offseason roster.

Thoughts?