The NBA season is still just over a month away, but now is the time to start analyzing rosters and determining who might finish where in their respective conferences.
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the most interesting teams heading into the season. On the surface, you might think the Hawks are going to be worse because they traded Dejounte Murray, but I think it’s safe to say they’ve been improving on the sly. The two biggest issues the Hawks needed to address this offseason were their size and defense, and I think they’ve done that with the additions of Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Larry Nance. If Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and De’Andre Hunter also improve and help the defense, I have faith in Trae Young to lead Atlanta into a good offense.
While I think this is the Hawks’ biggest question heading into training camp, CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish thinks it’s more centered around Young’s future and wrote this About the Hawks:
“Atlanta pulled the plug on the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray duo this summer by trading Murray to the Pelicans. Murray needed to be traded, he and Young just didn’t work together, and the Hawks got a good deal for him in Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels, while also acquiring two first-round picks. But without upgrades to immediately help this team, could we be getting closer to the end of Young’s time in Atlanta? After this season, Young will have two years remaining on the rookie max contract extension he signed in 2021. There was no trade market for Young over the summer when there were rumors Atlanta would trade him or Murray, and while part of that is because he’s a defensive liability, it’s also likely because of the $138 million he’s still owed over the next three years.
Could a trade happen at the deadline if a team gets desperate, or perhaps next summer when Young has one year left on his contract? There’s no suggestion the Hawks want to trade Young now, or that the All-Star point guard wants out of Atlanta, but it does seem like Atlanta is slowly moving toward another rebuild. They got the first overall pick and selected Zaccharie Risacher, and have some promising young players like Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and now Daniels, too. There are plenty of veterans on the roster who could be traded, like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, and Nance, so it would make sense for Young to be on the trade market as well. He’s about to enter the middle of his prime at age 25, and would likely want to be on a title-contending team rather than one that seems to be shuffling around players around him every other year.
If the Hawks do better this year, that question could be pushed further back, but if the losses start to pile up and the focus shifts to youth development, Young could either push for a trade or the Hawks could initiate he.”
I think this is a big season for Young, but I think he’s in a position to succeed and lead the team. As long as Young is the primary creator on offense, the Hawks should have a top-tier offense in the NBA, but it’s the other end of the floor that has given them problems. The addition of Dyson Daniels via the Dejounte Murray trade, the selection of Risacher, and the hope that Johnson, Okongwu, Clint Capela, and De’Andre Hunter can continue to play above-average defense. If the Hawks can improve on that end, then I think they could be a surprise team in 2024-25.
