The Hawks are headed toward a pivotal offseason.
There aren’t many avenues for the front office to immediately upgrade the roster — free agency or trade. The roster isn’t financially positioned to compete for the top free agents available, and the Hawks don’t possess the draft assets to swing a blockbuster trade.
More than likely, the Hawks will have to move someone like Clint Capela, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, or Dejounte Murray to open up some options.
Bleacher Report sees the Hawks much differently. The publication believes Atlanta’s hole is at the backup point guard position and provided three low-cost free agents to fill the void.
Potential Targets:Â Jevon Carter (PO), Patrick Beverley, Reggie Jackson
Atlanta has quietly become one of the deepest teams in the NBA, with two potential All-Stars at guard, a load of wings after the trade for Saddiq Bey and a frontcourt that somehow still features John Collins.
The Hawks can’t afford to be big spenders in free agency but could use a veteran point guard behind Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Carter is the perfect fit, a tenacious defender who made 42.1 percent of his threes last season. Beverley can still hit shots and defend at a high level in limited minutes and Jackson carries 75 games of playoff experience.
This roster probably needs a trade or two to consolidate talent and shed some future money, but getting a veteran point guard would help as well.
For a team with two extremely ball dominant guards, I don’t know how pressing the backup point guard position currently stands. The Hawks should play most of the 48 minutes with at least one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray on the court, negating the need to add a backup.
To me, the most glaring hole is shooting. Yes, I know that isn’t a specific area, but it identifies more who doesn’t fit. In my opinion, moving Clint Capela is the best way to upgrade this roster.
He’s a total ball stopper and offers next to nothing offensively unless Trae Young puts the ball at the rim. He’s an excellent defender and rebounder with the intangibles championship teams desire; he’ll be a hot commodity, unlike John Collins, whose trade value has never been lower.
Moving CC in hopes of adding a center that can stretch the floor will greatly benefit the entire roster. Moving such a great player, person, and teammate like Capela is not an easy decision, but it might be the best way to improve the team.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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