What’s Next For The Atlanta Hawks | Draft Preview

What’s Next For The Atlanta Hawks | Draft Preview

another season into the trade jeon era and while it’s nothing new than the first one it’s clear the fit is awkward offensively it’s clear the team is a mess defensively and it’s clear change needs to be made immediately outside of the elephant in the room Jaylen Johnson enters the off season eligible for his rookie extension after having a breakout season theque Bay enters restricted free agency himself and long-term starting center Clint capella enters the last year of his contract and what could arguably the biggest offseason of the Trey young era let’s discuss the roster as it exists The crucial decisions that have to be made and what potential trades could exist for Clint for Trey and for Deon Trey young had a great bounce back season proving he’s still an elite offensive engine got his third All-Star selection found his Groove again from three-point range and even improved his defensive effort Deon Murray had a better second season at Atlanta primarily because of when he took over the Reigns when Trey got injured the defense still leaves a lot to be desired from his San Antonio days but he remains a very productive combo guard Dylan Johnson was arguably the greatest bright spot in Atlanta last season as the former first round pick who finally solidified himself in the rotation this season may have won most improved player if it wasn’t for his injuries no doubt Johnson is part of the core moving forward in Atlanta DeAndre Hunter continues to be fine but that’s about all he is and likely will be at this point it was a career-high in points and three-point percentage but he continues to deal with injuries and is only good not great defensively Clint continues to be a high motor big with good shot blocking and rebounding even as he approached the age of 30 unfortunately the great efficiency started to fall off as he posted his worst efficiency from the field and from the free throw line since becoming a full-time starter with one year left on his deal and a kungo extension kicking in in the upcoming season it may be the end of Capella’s time in Atlanta the Kong May finally be taking over that starting role but he didn’t exactly win the job over convincingly with his play last season but is another top six lottery selection that the Hawks have had they have put plenty of stock into a conu at 6’8 he’s certainly under sized but he could fill a similar role to Capella with the ability to continue improving his mid-range shot and his three-point shooting as we saw flashes of last season bug down bonovich had a great season last year and would have been my pick for Sixth Man of the Year before he started in the line up too many games during the absence of Trey young for me to want to consider him for a bench award he’s almost 32 but he continues to be a very valuable scoring punch Off the Bench and a secondary shot Creator sidik Bay was the other regular rotational Wing last year for the Hawks but as he enters restricted free agency on a torn ACL his future with the Hawks is certainly in doubt Kobe buffkin is another player to keep an eye on head into next season for the Hawks as the 2023 first round pick never really broke into the team his cutting and non ball defensive props were attractive to me during the draft process and that could still become valuable to the Hawks next season yes I am going to address the elephant in the room we will talk about the situation between Trey and Deon and how that is now affected by the fact that they somehow won the lottery and get into potential trade options for those stars but first let’s discuss the decisions the Hawks have to make regarding their wings this off season and there’s a few of them as previously mentioned Sadi Bay enters restricted free agency after a year and a half in Atlanta the former Pistons first round pick really struggled from three this year and that combined with the ACL injury makes it a concern for him entering free agency very unfortunate timing for BA and his potential extension he would have gotten in Atlanta or elsewhere in free agency as ba underwent surgery March 27th it’s quite possible he’s not back until halfway through next season that in combination with a poor 23 24 season and it’s very likely there’s no big payday waiting for sadik this summer despite these concerns I would still expect the Hawks to qualify sadik Bay given his qualifying offer is only 8.5 million in the case no other team inquires the Hawks could give another look at sadique Bay once he returns for injury on the cheap and it gives sadique Bay time to play for a bigger contract alternatively if there is a team that does present an offer sheet this would allow the Hawks to match it if they so desired I wouldn’t expect the Hawks to match it but at one year of 88.5 million it’s worth extending the offer Dylan Johnson becomes extension eligible this offseason and the Hawks must prioritize locking him up long term how much he gets paid well that’s another question obviously last season was a massive breakout for the young forward but his potential extension this summer relies on how much potential the hawks believe Johnson can still tap into several young Wings got extended last summer or signed in restri re agency which includes the likes of ma cble who got a threeyear $33 million deal from the Trailblazers thanks to an offer sheet from the Mavericks Grant Williams who was paid 53 million over four years via signning trade from the Celtics to the Mavs ruy haimura got 51 million over three years from the Lakers after his playoff performances PJ Washington received his three-year deal worth 46.5 million from the Hornets which is looking like a steal right now for the Mavs and similarly the Wizards got a steal of a deal and Denny of diaa signing for 55 million over 4 years now all of those are very valuable role players but Jaylen Johnson is coming off of a much better season than any of these Wings have had before they signed their extension or contract and arguably has much greater potential than all of them and Jaylen Johnson and his Camp know this and will be unlikely to sign an extension if they don’t believe it will match his future value after his fourth year in the league and understandably so Dan ofd is a great example of this going wrong sure 55 million over four years is a great sum of money and he was partially paid due to upside but then he had a breakout season this year in year four the year immediately after his extension a season where he finished six in MIP voting and significantly raised his value he likely would have been getting paid much closer to 17 to 20 plus million a season if he was entering restricted free agency this summer compared to the 13.75 million average he set to earn on his current extension a more accurate comparison for a potential jayen Johnson Price Point may be the 5year 131 million extension that Jaden McDaniels earned last season point being the Hawks have to match Johnson’s future value or he’s very likely to bet on himself and attempt another breakout season given the extension and contract given out last year from the Timberwolves to McDaniels I would expect the Hawks extension for Jaylen Johnson to reach 20 million a season at the absolute low end with this great defense and rebounding great length and improved three-point shot Johnson is the perfect way Wing in the modern NBA and these guys get massive paydays and deservedly so they are a valuable commodity in this league and there’s always a shortage of Highly productive two-way Wings in the NBA don’t be shocked if a Jaylen Johnson extenson ends up being anywhere from 22 28 million a season he has earned every penny and it will be money very well spent by the Hawks another player who could get extended this summer is franchise Cornerstone Trey young now whether the Hawks are going to extend Trey young or not Accord course will depend on what direction they are headed this off seon if the plan is to trade to Jon maray and fully commit to Trey young offering the max extension makes sense to push a potential unrestricted free agency further down the line however if the plan is to trade Trey young obviously he won’t be extended and even still even if the extension is offered there’s no guarantee he’s going to accept it the other notable extension eligible player is Clint capella who notably did get an extension the last time he was extension eligible having signed a 2-year 46 million extension in 2021 this time around extending him is not such an obvious decision and certainly not at another extension that puts him earning 23 million a season the Ana kongu extension kicks in this year whilst capella enters the final year of his contract before entering unrestricted free agency although it is possible I find it hard to believe the Hawks are going to resign a 30-year-old capella during the 2025 offseason when a conu was said to be paid 15 million during that same season this begs the question do the Hawks keep capella and let him leave for free after the season or do the Hawks trade him to improve the team elsewhere and finally make a conu the starting center I’d argue the very obvious choice is to trade capella now to be fair this is the third consecutive offseason I have been advocating for a conu to start and for capella to be traded so I do have some bias here but with the cono extension kicking in the expiring contract of capella combined with the continued development of of a kongu and the efficiency drop from capella it’s time for a capella trade finally now the issue with a capella trade is that the list of teams potentially interested in such a trade are likely quite limited and the value probably isn’t great the Memphis Grizzlies are one of the more notable teams looking for a center after trading away the injured Steven Adams last season now capella is very unlikely to be their first option with them possibly inquiring into Nicholas Claxton in free agency but capella could help play some of the rebounding of Steven Adams whilst being a great lob threat with jaw You could argue the Grizzlies may only be willing to give up a couple of second round picks instead of a protected first but this would be the rough framework Luke Canard would be involved in any such deal to make the money work and zy Williams gives the Hawks another young forward with some upside who’s going to be on the outside of the rotation of Memphis thanks to the great play last season of gii Jackson and Vince Williams Jr now this trade is significantly more unlikely but it could be a last Stitch Blockbuster effort for the Hawks You could argue the Hawks should give up another first round pick here which the Hawks do have at their disposal but this is the rough framework although sabonis in terms of pure talent would be a great addition there’s a few issues with this trade for the Hawks firstly defense is already one of the primary concerns for this roster and acquiring sabonis certainly isn’t helping that not to mention the fact this still keeps a kongu on the bench whilst you’re paying a significant amount of money at the center position secondly the Hawks whether it be with Trey young or Dean Murray revolves around plenty of lobs to Capella a kongu and Jaylen Johnson and of course formerly joh Collins sa bonus is not a lob threat he’s a great passer a great rebounder could be a very good Hub to run dribble handoffs off of but that requires plenty of good off ball movement Shooters and outside of bdon bonovich and if he stayed around at the team Trey young the Hawks don’t exactly have those types of players thirdly the departure of DeAndre Hunter and possibly even AJ Griffin would destroy the Hawks Wing de leaving only Jaya Johnson and possibly sadique Bay if he’s resigned and even still he won’t likely be healthy to start the season point being such a big trade with capella likely doesn’t help the Hawks issues I’d expect a smaller trade such as the one proposed to the Grizzlies or possibly even one to the Pelicans where the Hawks get some picks to use possibly in a fature trade or an okay young talent in return is the most likely route for a capella trade this offseason now before we get to the try and deante discussion I want to quickly mention the other elephant in the room now when I was initially writing this video the Hawks first round draft pick was a minute point with very little discussion around it however the draft lottery very much changed that when they won it and got the first overall pick now this gives the Hawks plenty more options with this off seon with where they want to go with the selection with where they want to go with Trey young and Deon Murray they could do a multitude of things firstly the Hawks could simply use the pick to pair with whatever combination of Murray and young they want to keep secondly the Hawks could trade the number one overall pick alongside other assets likely a package involving Deon Murray or another highend star thirdly the Hawks could make this the time to completely hit the reset button trade Trey and de jeon Murray draft alexar and let him be the future of your franchise alongside jayen Johnson and of course if you draft star the capella gets traded to you don’t need three bigs point being they could do anything personally I think alexar is an amazing fit next to Trey young and although capella Aku and formerly John Collins have been good vertical threats who catch constant mobs from prey the 7 foot1 alexar would be the greatest vertical spacer and offensive big Trey has ever played with from day one not to mention the fact that SAR has shown promise of upside as a three-point shooter giving way more floor spacing potential than capella ever has with his 75 wingspan offering way more upside as a rim protector on the defensive end and capella has ever offered as well Trey young Jaylen Johnson and Alex Zar is a legitimately good Trio as the Hawks enter Trey’s 26 yearold Season with two years of Team control left on his contract this is likely the last shot to build a roster that convinces Trey to stay in Atlanta and I believe the young Duo of Jaylen Johnson and alexar is the best duo they’re going to be able to surround him with and also a quite good one now the fact we’re just now getting to the Trey young and de Jon Murray situation tells you how crucial of an offseason it is in Atlanta and how many other big decisions must take place surrounding their two star guards now evidently based on my last point I believe dejon Murray is the odd man out here Trey is the best player on the team and so if the Hawks want to remain competitive keeping Trey young is the best way forward but clearly these two cannot coexist parody is at an alltime high in the NBA none of the last six NBA champions have made the Conference Finals the following year not to mention the fact that Pacers led by halberton the akam and Miles Turner have made a deep playoff run this year Ray young Jaylen Johnson and Alex SAR won’t be there next season nor do the Hawks have the high impact role players the Pacers currently have but the Hawks core has the chance to develop up to that Trio of the Pacers and the Deon Murray trade gives the Hawks the chance to add more quality role players and of course the previously discussed trade of Clint capella will likely happen allowing to Center rotation of SAR and aong Wu and adding potentially another valuable role player in return all within this hypothetical of drafting SAR and trading Deon so the question is what do you get in return for de Jon Murray to surround your new core 3 now picks are great but ultimately the Hawks need great defense around Trey young now not in the future future via draft picks and ideally these dudes can also space the floor they need role players who can make an immediate impact in return for de Jon in an Ideal World if the Hawks want to make a big splash and get a cream of the crop quote unquote role player a trade could be made with the Brooklyn Nets and you guys probably know where this is going now I know the Nets have seemed reluctant to trade male Bridges even though they most definitely should however I believe this trade gives the Nets a happy medium they could being competitive or at least try to act competitive whilst they don’t have their own draft picks acir and Dean Murray will keep you in the mix for the play in tournament something Murray has done with the Hawks and the Spurs whil also getting another young player to potentially develop an AJ Griffin for the Hawks while they get Wing defense and depth that they desperately need pry would have a new second option and M Bridges a second option who is much more comfortable playing off of the ball and as a significantly better Defender that duo alongside the emergence of and Johnson would be a trio that compliment each other as opposed to the current clash in styles of Trey and Deon and this now makes your big three that we talked about earlier with Trey Jaylen Johnson and Alex s a big four with the addition of male Bridges Dorian FY Smith would also come in to bring more Wing defense and length off of the Hawks bench further helping their defensive issues now it’s such a trade it raises the question of the role of DeAndre Hunter it’s possible the Hawks could trade him with a new abundance of wings on the roster but given his low value in some of the recent positional play of Mel Bridges one could argue that Bridges could start at the two alongside DeAndre Hunter and Jaylen Johnson all in the starting lineup allowing the Hawks to have some absurd length and defensive intensity around Trey young now this trade by no means solves all of the Hawks problems nor does it make them an immediate top playoff Contender but the fit improves significantly and the defense improves significantly and if someone similar to Luke Canard can give the Hawks another off ball movement shooter this Hawks team could really be unlocked honestly it’s hard to find a team that makes sense in terms of acquiring to Jon Murray this offseason however another potential option could be the Warriors The Warriors are likely to see Klay Thompson leave this off season and may look to replace him as one last push during the career era wagin has been struggling significantly as of late and the Warriors could look to move off of him however the Hawks could hope to get back a very valuable 3 and D Wing Moses Moody could be another very valuable piece he’s been very underutilized and given inconsistent minutes in the bay but could offer great three and D minutes off the bench You could argue the amount of pick compensation but there’s a rough framework here that could give the Hawks more depth to surround Trey young ultimately this is a crucial off season for the Hawks that should see significant change if there isn’t significant change well then it’s a failure of an off season and a failure of the Trey young era despite many mediocre seasons over the last few years the Hawks still have upside and opportunities to salvage this era with Trey young greatly helped by winning the lottery but this offseason is the time that they have to make changes before it all falls apart and the changes come too late

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Run The NBA, Devin Kenny, is a full time college student and basketball fan. He is a former athlete who has turned to content creation due to many injuries, and is building an NBA/basketball community.

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