Hawks Offseason Officially Begins

[Jamaaliver]

Grading Every NBA Team's Offseason so Far

Atlanta Hawks: A-

Notable Additions: Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, Rajon Rondo, Tony Snell, Onyeka Okongwu

Notable Subtractions: Dewayne Dedmon, Jeff Teague, DeAndre' Bembry, Vince Carter

Notable Re-Signings: None

The Atlanta Hawks weren't stingy with their cap space, handing 32-year-old Danilo Gallinari a three-year, $61.5 million deal and following that with a $72 million offer sheet for Bogdan Bogdanovic. If short-term improvement was the goal, Atlanta achieved it.

A partial guarantee on the third year of Gallo's deal offers the Hawks protection against the veteran's decline. If Gallinari ages poorly, Atlanta can get out from under the last year of his contract for a nominal fee.

Rajon Rondo addresses the playmaking void that opened whenever Trae Young sat last season—though at far too high a price (two years, $15 million)—and Kris Dunn is an ideal defense-first fit in the backcourt. Throw in Tony Snell and Onyeka Okongwu, and the Hawks have essentially added six rotation pieces.

It's fair to worry that Atlanta spent too aggressively in ways that might compromise long-term flexibility and, ultimately, lower the franchise's ceiling. But the Hawks also wisely held off on a big extension for John Collins and could flip him for future assets to offset their recent win-now expenditures.

Snatching Okongwu with the sixth pick could also go down as a draft success. There's a nonzero chance he winds up the best big in the 2020 class, and his versatility makes him a clean fit in the modern game.

In all, the Hawks paid handsomely to improve. The playoffs aren't just a goal; they should be the expectation.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

A healthy bit of skepticism to our moves this summer fall...

Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta is almost universally being pegged as huge offseason winners. That's fair. That doesn't make Atlanta's offseason a no-brainer victory. It got better, but how much better? Gallinari will still need to play small forward during critical stretches unless one of Bogdanovic or Collins isn't going to close games. Kris Dunn's addition is a boon for the defense, but he shrinks the floor at the other end, making it difficult to play him when either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu is on the floor.

Whether the Hawks are even noticeably more capable at the less glamorous end is debatable. Capela and Dunn are real assets, and Atlanta can bank on improvement from De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. But the minutes in which Bogdanovic, Gallinari and Young play together will be rough.

Everything could wind up being hunky-dory. Atlanta might be next up in the Eastern Conference. It could also get off to a slow start, absolutely suck on defense, have trouble balancing minutes on the wings and generally struggle in a way that costs head coach Lloyd Pierce his job.

Bleacher Report

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Free Agency Report Cards: Which Teams Earned High Marks?

Atlanta Hawks: A-

The Hawks are all-in on the chase for a 2021 playoff spot, and their roster projects to be a potential No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the East. Atlanta has added two impressive rim protectors dating back to last February, and free agency provided the chance to add playmaking around Trae Young. Bogdan Bogdanovic should fit right in as a starting two guard (if the Kings do not match). Rajon Rondo should add stability as he mentors Young. Perhaps you can quibble with a three-year deal for Danilo Gallinari as he enters his age-32 season. But this is a team now ready to chase a playoff berth with Young leading the way.

SI.com

The Biggest Winners and Losers of the NBA Offseason

Winner: Hawks

The Lakers are the obvious choice as Jeremy mentioned, but that is boring. Let’s give some credit to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks entered the NBA offseason with the most cap space and decided to use it to build around their centerpiece in Trae Young. The additions of Bogdan Bogdanović, Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn and No. 6 pick Onyeka Okongwu makes Atlanta one of the most exciting teams to watch. This is not to say they will be a contender in any form, but they will be must-watch TV. It is going to be a thrill watching this team compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Winner: The Hawks

Atlanta executed an impressive offseason plan in acquiring Rajon Rondo, Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanović. After finishing at No. 14 in the Eastern Conference last season with a 20–47 record, the Hawks have a chance to move into a playoff spot with its newly formed starting lineup. It will be fun to watch Trae Young as he learns from Rondo and is surrounded by more talent.

SI.com

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

For the record and/but as an aside to all gathered here...

Some people are fans of big-tent stickied topics that go on for pages and pages and pages with subtopics just meandering through the whole thing as posters more or less just hold an on-going discussion. I actually participate on a baseball site where that's more or less the situation using Disqus as the platform.

Not a big fan, though, speaking just for myself, b/c a whole lot just gets lost in that shuffle.

And too, I guess one could say I'm a supporter of Sports Discussion Board Darwinianism... survival of the fittest... so, when a topic isn't all that interesting any more, it is a good thing that it naturally loses its place and sinks down, down, down and off the front page. But, importantly, it remains in the index so it's still relatively easy to recover the topic if for some reason it becomes revived to some level of relevance/importance.

[HMFFL]

I hope John Collins understands the articles mentioning him in trades are all BS. I just read an article that suggest Atlanta can trade Collins now that we have Danilo Gallinari.

Sent from my SM-N975U using RealGM mobile app

[graymule]

[quote="HMFFL"]I hope John Collins understands the articles mentioning him in trades are all BS. I just read an article that suggest Atlanta can trade Collins now that we have Danilo Gallinari.

I heard a much better rumor. Because Atlanta doesn't want him bad enough to sign him, Boston will pick him up for $5 million.
How does that fry your taters???

[Spud2nique]

I’m really excited about our season less than three weeks away. I was about to make a new topic then I thought, allotment! I’m kidding Stu open up a new one about your ingrown toenail.

GO HAWKS!!!!

[Spud2nique]

Is Supes still with us or the Knicks? #obishinobi

[Jamaaliver]

I'm probably late to the party, but this is an amazing deep dive into our rebuild and offseason moves. A full 42 minutes of Hawks-centric basketball talk.

Read on Twitter

[Spud2nique]

Just saw this but haven’t listened to it myself. If I can’t post this please delete. Thanks.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-hoopshype-podcast-with-alex-kennedy/gallinari-bogdanovic-rondo-and-futures-of-lloyd-pi

[Jamaaliver]

Every NBA Team's Biggest L of the Offseason

Atlanta Hawks: Overcrowding the Frontcourt

The Atlanta Hawks made enough smart moves that securing anything lower than the No. 8 seed would be a disappointment.
They arguably added as much talent as anyone, though it's unclear how some of it will fit.

In a vacuum, they were probably right to keep John Collins and found good value in Clint Capela at the trade deadline and Onyeka Okongwu on draft night. But if all three players are rim-running 5s in the modern NBA, then how will this setup ever work? Atlanta can steal minutes at the 4 for Collins and perhaps Okongwu, but Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter can also fill that position.

The Hawks seemingly grabbed as much talent as they could find, which isn't the worst way for a rebuilder to operate. But expectations are high in Atlanta, and the goal sure seems to be a 2021 playoff berth. That's easier to pursue with a properly aligned frontcourt, meaning a trade might become necessary sooner than later.

Bleacher Report

[jayu70]

Every NBA Team's Biggest L of the Offseason

Atlanta Hawks: Overcrowding the Frontcourt

The Atlanta Hawks made enough smart moves that securing anything lower than the No. 8 seed would be a disappointment.
They arguably added as much talent as anyone, though it's unclear how some of it will fit.

In a vacuum, they were probably right to keep John Collins and found good value in Clint Capela at the trade deadline and Onyeka Okongwu on draft night. But if all three players are rim-running 5s in the modern NBA, then how will this setup ever work? Atlanta can steal minutes at the 4 for Collins and perhaps Okongwu, but Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter can also fill that position.

The Hawks seemingly grabbed as much talent as they could find, which isn't the worst way for a rebuilder to operate. But expectations are high in Atlanta, and the goal sure seems to be a 2021 playoff berth. That's easier to pursue with a properly aligned frontcourt, meaning a trade might become necessary sooner than later.

Bleacher Report

Bleacher report needs to stop churning out these very inaccurate hot takes.

[shakes0]

Every NBA Team's Biggest L of the Offseason

Atlanta Hawks: Overcrowding the Frontcourt

The Atlanta Hawks made enough smart moves that securing anything lower than the No. 8 seed would be a disappointment.
They arguably added as much talent as anyone, though it's unclear how some of it will fit.

In a vacuum, they were probably right to keep John Collins and found good value in Clint Capela at the trade deadline and Onyeka Okongwu on draft night. But if all three players are rim-running 5s in the modern NBA, then how will this setup ever work? Atlanta can steal minutes at the 4 for Collins and perhaps Okongwu, but Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter can also fill that position.

The Hawks seemingly grabbed as much talent as they could find, which isn't the worst way for a rebuilder to operate. But expectations are high in Atlanta, and the goal sure seems to be a 2021 playoff berth. That's easier to pursue with a properly aligned frontcourt, meaning a trade might become necessary sooner than later.

Bleacher Report

Collins can steal minutes at 4? Collins is a 4.


Great article by yet another person who clearly didn't watch more than 1-2 Hawks games all year if that.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[hawks_fan25]

Every NBA Team's Biggest L of the Offseason

Atlanta Hawks: Overcrowding the Frontcourt

The Atlanta Hawks made enough smart moves that securing anything lower than the No. 8 seed would be a disappointment.
They arguably added as much talent as anyone, though it's unclear how some of it will fit.

In a vacuum, they were probably right to keep John Collins and found good value in Clint Capela at the trade deadline and Onyeka Okongwu on draft night. But if all three players are rim-running 5s in the modern NBA, then how will this setup ever work? Atlanta can steal minutes at the 4 for Collins and perhaps Okongwu, but Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter can also fill that position.

The Hawks seemingly grabbed as much talent as they could find, which isn't the worst way for a rebuilder to operate. But expectations are high in Atlanta, and the goal sure seems to be a 2021 playoff berth. That's easier to pursue with a properly aligned frontcourt, meaning a trade might become necessary sooner than later.

Bleacher Report

Collins can steal minutes at 4? Collins is a 4.


Great article by yet another person who clearly didn't watch more than 1-2 Hawks games all year if that.

Agreed... He's a 4 and has always played 4 for us. Also, just because he can run to the rim and make spectacular plays there doesn't mean he's just a rim-runner. He shot 40% from 3 last year with substantial volume.

[Spud2nique]

Trae was playing with these guys last year.

They didn’t get much on-court contribution from Evan Turner, Chandler Parsons or Allen Crabbe. They ended up renouncing their free-agency rights to DeAndre’ Bembry, Treveon Graham, Damian Jones, Jeff Teague and Vince Carter, among others, though Carter was a valuable locker-room presence and mentor.