The Atlanta Hawks came into this season on a high. Having made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, great things were expected from the young roster led by Trae Young. However, it didn’t work out quite so well for the Hawks this time around, with them making it into the playoffs as a 9th seed.
Any hope that they could go another run was dashed by the 1st seed Miami Heat, who took care of the Hawks in 5 games, with the series not looking particularly close at any point in time. The disappointment in Atlanta is palpable after a season that has seen some regression from the team and General Manager Travis Schlenk has now suggested that some moves could be in the offing after the end of the season (via si.com).
According to John Riker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Schlenk said, “Last summer, a lot of our guys were under contract, had multi-year deals. This year, we have more free agents on the roster. There will be more turnover because that’s just the way the NBA works.”
While key pieces like Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter are all locked in along with John Collins, pieces like Delon Wright, Grogui Diend, and Lou Williams will all be out of contract. This could provide the Hawks with some flexibility as they look to retool the roster around their young superstar.
The expectations will only continue to grow for the Hawks as Young continues to mature into a superstar in the league. An abysmal playoff performance this season has affected Trae’s stock a little, but he remains one of the best young players in the league, one with a bright future.
Who the Hawks move for during the offseason remains to be seen, and no big names as of yet have been in discussions. However, with the Utah Jazz looking like they might be moving on from their current era, and players like Russell Westbrook very much on the market, anything could happen this offseason.
