Hawks 2025 Offseason Thread

[Rebound Mound]

I found this article while reading a Spanish magazine I had never read to this moment.
I guess it is easy to translate using a translator.

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Vamos a tomar el ejemplo de Alex Sarr en el draft de 2024. Aunque prácticamente todos lo veían como el número 1 del draft de la NBA, su agente, Quique Villalobos, explica cómo un análisis profundo de la situación del equipo que tenía el número 1, Atlanta Hawks, les llevó a elegir a los Washington Wizards.

Quique Villalobos: “Él no tomó esa decisión, la tomamos nosotros. Alex no tiene un gran conocimiento de cómo funciona la NBA ni del discurso interno de las distintas franquicias. De manera conjunta analizamos la situación y llegamos a la conclusión de que Washington era una mejor opción para él.”
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https://www.solobasket.com/liga-endesa/no-es-el-triple-este-es-el-verdadero-arma-secreta-del-baloncesto-moderno

[Jamaaliver]

I found this article while reading a Spanish magazine I had never read to this moment.
I guess it is easy to translate using a translator.

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Vamos a tomar el ejemplo de Alex Sarr en el draft de 2024. Aunque prácticamente todos lo veían como el número 1 del draft de la NBA, su agente, Quique Villalobos, explica cómo un análisis profundo de la situación del equipo que tenía el número 1, Atlanta Hawks, les llevó a elegir a los Washington Wizards.

Quique Villalobos: “Él no tomó esa decisión, la tomamos nosotros. Alex no tiene un gran conocimiento de cómo funciona la NBA ni del discurso interno de las distintas franquicias. De manera conjunta analizamos la situación y llegamos a la conclusión de que Washington era una mejor opción para él.”
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https://www.solobasket.com/liga-endesa/no-es-el-triple-este-es-el-verdadero-arma-secreta-del-baloncesto-moderno

We're going to take Alex Sarr's lead in the 2024 draft. Although practically everyone saw him as the number 1 pick in the NBA draft, his agent, Quique Villalobos, explains how a deep analysis of the situation of the team that had the number 1, Atlanta Hawks, led them to choose the Washington Wizards.

Quique Villalobos: "He didn't make that decision, we made it. Alex doesn't have a great understanding of how the NBA works or the internal discourse of the different franchises. Together, we analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that Washington was a better option for him."

[Rebound Mound]

It is awkward that agents can decide where a representee should play because they believe the style of play of the teams fits more his characteristics as if it was going to last forever. Also without thinking that one of the teams is in a much better situation than the other, with a more of less solid trajectory (compared to one of the poorest league existences in years) and that the Wizards do not have a good PG or a define style of play.

I would not change Risacher for Sarr at this point, although I still believe Sarr made more sense for us that Risacher. I am sure the French kid is going to surprise us in the coming years. And evidently we are in a much better position to achieve something special.

Villalobos was a high flying SG for Real Madrid who put a lot of passion when playing, always not backing out from anybody, although he lacked quality to be a starting or even a good rotation player. He played for Real Madrid for four years in one of the darkest periods in terms of results in the modern history of the club.

[HMFFL]

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

And only one will expect $60m per season.

Ugh!

[jayu70]

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

And only one will expect $60m per sesson.

Ugh!

And the only one that is currently a player a team is building around, and that opposing defenses sell out to stop, and a starter (except FVV)....but sure. Weird comparison!

[jayu70]

Read on Twitter

Atlanta Hawks

On Zaccharie Risacher: “A big part of the reason we were willing to add guys to push forward was the play of Zaccharie Risacher. From Christmas on, he was awesome. Go look up the stats and you’ll see how good he was after Christmas. (Note: Risacher averaged 13.9 points on 50/40/73 shooting splits over his final 45 games of his rookie season.) We know what Trae (Young) and Jalen (Johnson) are. Dyson (Daniels) is become a big-time player. But Zaccharie gave us the confidence to add to the roster,” a Hawks front office executive said.

On extending Dyson Daniels: “I think we can get a deal done with Dyson. Both sides want to. He’s been a perfect fit next to Trae (Young) because they complement each other well,” a Hawks front office executive said.”

On the draft and draft-night trade: “The draft was a homerun for us. We got that extra pick. (Note: this is the best of the Pelicans/Bucks 2026 first-round pick.) And we nailed our pick with Asa Newell. He’s something different from our other frontcourt guys. The goal for this year for him: Play really hard, run the floor and mix it up on defense. Keep it simple and build from there,” a Hawks coach said.

On the offseason moves: “We feel like we had one of the best offseasons in the entire league. I know that’s confident, but we got Kristaps (Porzingis) in a trade and signed Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) and Luke (Kennard). Who else added three players that good?” a Hawks front office executive said. “Those are big-time players who all fill needs for us. We’re going to be deep and really versatile next season. We won’t put any kind of expectations on our group, but we’re not putting any kind of artificial limits on them either.”

On Kobe Bufkin: “I’m a little worried about him. Athletically, he’s fine. He’s too quick and too strong for guys here (Las Vegas Summer League). But he’s got to shoot it better. And he has to stay healthy. Hopefully it will come together for him,” a Hawks scout said.

[Jamaaliver]

Wide-open Eastern Conference is the ultimate reflection of NBA’s parity era

Watch on YouTube

The new reality is that teams are trying to steadily nurture a broader core of valued rotation players, even as the East seems wide open. The top of the East is full of teams that have drafted well over the years and brought in a missing piece to potentially put them over the top, with the Knicks being the lone exception. Orlando’s trade for Desmond Bane and Atlanta’s deals for Kristaps Porziņģis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker show how wide-open the East is. These are not the kinds of blockbusters that used to reshape a conference, but those aren’t as necessary or feasible as they were half a decade ago.

So now we are left with a top tier in the East consisting of Cleveland, New York, Orlando and Atlanta. They all project to be on similar tiers for various reasons, but they are the favorites for home-court advantage as things stand.

...you have Orlando and Atlanta, two franchises who made crucial trades to solve their biggest weaknesses. In particular, the Bane trade, much like the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges deal a year ago and the Siakam deal before that, exemplifies how East teams are now willing to pay significant assets for complementary pieces that will accentuate an established core.

The Athletic

[jayu70]

All 30 NBA teams' biggest roster mistakes since 2020

7. Atlanta Hawks
Biggest mistake: Trading for Dejounte Murray (2022)

6. New Orleans Pelicans
Biggest mistake: Trading for Dejounte Murray (2024)

First things first: It's not Murray's fault he has been the target of two of the worst trades of the decade. He's a one-time All-Star and All-Defensive honoree.

But we're grouping these two moves because of his cursed transaction tree.

First, the Hawks, seeking to find a backcourt partner for Trae Young and regain the magic that had propelled them to a surprising conference finals berth in 2021, acquired Murray from the Spurs in exchange for three future firsts and a pick swap. One of those picks (via the Hornets) didn't end up conveying, but the Spurs landed Carter Bryant (the No. 14 pick last month) from this deal, and they still control the Hawks' unprotected picks in 2026 and 2027.

In his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, Dejounte Murray played in only 31 games due to injury. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Despite that high cost, Murray didn't get Atlanta anywhere closer to contention. The Hawks didn't finish with a winning record in either season that Murray was on the roster, and lineups with Young and Murray playing together were outscored both years.

Atlanta's saving grace is that New Orleans made an even more lopsided trade for Murray just two years later, nabbing the All-Star guard in exchange for Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks (one of which the Hawks dealt in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the other set to convey in 2027).

If that deal were just a straight-up swap of Murray for Daniels, Atlanta would have won it. Murray tore an Achilles as the Pelicans finished 21-61 last season, while Daniels, who's seven years younger, won the Most Improved Player award and finished as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. That the Pelicans also surrendered two firsts only makes their side of the trade look worse.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45790173/all-30-nba-teams-roster-mistakes-2020

[Jamaaliver]

The De'Andre Hunter trade meant a lot to both teams

Cavaliers may have created their own worst enemy in the East



The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for De'Andre Hunter at last year's Trade Deadline. It was a move that hasn't paid off for the Cavaliers yet -- but that allowed the Atlanta Hawks to level up this offseason and become a contender in the Eastern Conference. Koby Altman flipped two players and some low-level draft capital for Hunter. In the midst of an excellent season off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks, Hunter was a high-volume shooter with size to slot into their forward rotation. The deal was a good value for the Cavs and made a lot of sense.

What also happened with that deadline deal, however, was that things changed for the Atlanta Hawks -- and in a way that could matter to Cleveland's chances at winning the Eastern Conference this season.

The Hawks used the Hunter trade to level up
The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the big winners of the NBA offseason, and especially in the Eastern Conference. They fleeced the New Orleans Pelicans in a draft night trade, added Kristaps Porzingis to level up their center rotation, and are in line to get back multiple key players who were not healthy a season ago.

Perhaps their most important move for this season was winning the sweepstakes to sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker, perhaps the premier free agent to change teams this summer. The combo guard has developed into an elite defender and capable offensive threat, a solid shooter and ball-handler who can fill multiple roles. He played a key rotation role on back-to-back Conference Finalists teams in Minnesota.

The Hawks were able to outbid other teams for Alexander-Walker [by acquiring him via] sign-and-trade, sending a second-round pick and cash to the Timberwolves. Atlanta had the financial flexibility to make that deal because of the room under the luxury tax they opened up by trading De'Andre Hunter. [That allowed] the Hawks to trade for Kristaps Porzingis, sign sharpshooter Luke Kennard and then have enough left to bring in Alexander-Walker. In a blink the Hawks upgraded their roster across the board while adding a premium pick in 2026. Quite the offseason.

Spoiler:

Last season, the team in the Eastern Conference that the Cavaliers struggled with the most was, strangely, the Atlanta Hawks. Other than Trae Young, their rotation was filled with long, rangy defenders who gummed up the works for the Cavaliers, and their shooters got hot and overwhelmed the best team in the East.

That only figures to be more of the case this season with Alexander-Walker and rookie F Asa Newell now on board as defenders with great length. Porzingis is gigantic around the rim. The Hawks have smartly built a defensive team around one of the worst defenders in the league in Trae Young, and emphasized shooting as well. There is a lot to like about Atlanta's chances in the Eastern Conference this season.

Are they the top threat to Cleveland? Probably not. The New York Knicks have proven more, the Orlando Magic just added a star in Desmond Bane, and the Philadelphia 76ers have elite upside if Joel Embiid and Paul George are healthy. But should the Cavs be wary? Absolutely.

And if the Hawks turn out to be a monster in the East next season, it will be a monster that the Cavaliers helped to create.

Cavaliers Fansided