Atlanta has made a flurry of impressive offseason moves, including:
Signing Rajon Rondo to a 2 year, $15 million contract
Signing Danilo Gallinari to a 3 year, $61.5 million contract
Signing Kris Dunn to a 2 year, $10 million contract
Signing Bogdan Bogdanović to a 4 year, $72 million contract
Signing Solomon Hill to a 1 year, $2.2 million contract (estimated via Spotrac)
Signing UDFA Nathan Knight
There’s still potential to make a few small moves, but this roster’s main core is mostly together. Overall, I think Atlanta addressed their biggest needs — defense, shooting, and depth. I really like this mix of players.
Rajon Rondo
2020 Stats: 7.1 PPG, 3 RPG, 5 APG, 41.8 FG%, 32.8 3P%
Rondo’s defense isn’t what it used to be when he was with the Celtics, but he’s still a crafty vet who fills a massive hole at backup PG that hasn’t been properly addressed since Schroder was traded to OKC. He can still pass with the best, and whatever he’s lost on defense, he’s made up for with vastly improved shooting from the floor and from 3.
Danilo Gallinari
2020 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 43.8% FG, 40.5% 3P
Gallo is probably my favorite signing of the offseason. There was virtually nothing behind John Collins at PF, and while $20 million may seem too expensive, I think he’ll prove to be worth it. Regardless of where he’s playing, Gallinari is a deadeye bucket getter. He was a perfect addition for the Hawks, and his shooting was desperately needed on this squad that loves to fire threes.
Kris Dunn
2020 Stats: 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.4 APG, 44.4% FG, 25.9% 3P
In 2020, Dunn posted a defensive RAPTOR rating of +4.1. That was good enough for third-best in the NBA behind Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis. The Hawks have badly needed defensive help on the bench, especially at point guard. Pairing Dunn with Rondo in defensive prioritized situations is a menacing combo that can distribute the ball to Atlanta’s young wings and high-flying frontcourt.
Bogdan Bogdanović
2020 Stats: 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 44% FG, 37.2 3P%
Bogi was probably the most anticipated signing for Hawks fans while they waited on Sacramento to match Atlanta’s $72 million offer sheet. While some may view this as a bit too much, Bogdanović is perfect for Atlanta’s system — and bad teams usually have to overpay free agents to entice them. I still think what he got was fair, and I’m super excited for Atlanta’s likely new starting shooting guard. Like with Gallo, Atlanta paid big money for shooting — something they needed badly.
Solomon Hill
2020 Stats: 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 39.6% FG, 36.8% 3P
I didn’t really care for this signing at first, but Hill is a capable three-point shooter and a nice veteran presence. He’s back after his two-week stint with Atlanta last summer before being traded in a contract swap, and he was actually getting minutes on a Miami Heat team that went to the Finals. Decent vet shooter fresh off of a championship appearance coming off the bench? I’ll take him, especially on just a one-year contract.
Tony Snell
2020 Stats: 8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 44.5% FG, 40.2% 3P
Tony Snell may never live down his infamous all 0 stat line in 28 minutes with the Bucks, but he’s got a lot to offer. As much as I loved Dewayne Dedmon, it was a wise move to get some value in a bad contract swap to acquire some help on the wing and clear a logjam at center. Snell can shoot and play defense off of the bench, just about all that the Hawks could ask of him on the last deal of his massive four-year, $46 million contract.
Onyeka Okongwu
2020 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 62% FG
I’ve already talked about how much I loved Okongwu in his draft profile, and I think he’s a Bam Adebayo prototype.
Blind resumé:
Player A in College:
6’9 Center
13 PPG, 8 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 60% FGPlayer B in College:
6’9 Center
16.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 62% FGNeither guys shot 3s. Can you guess which is which?
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) November 23, 2020
“Player B” Okongwu is a freak athlete, and while he’s undersized, he can block shots like nobody’s business. He’ll fit in just fine as a rangy, athletic center coming off the bench (for now).
Skylar Mays
2020 Stats: 16.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 49.1% FG, 39.4% 3P
It’s already been announced that Mays is going on a two-way contract for roster purposes, which is fine with a 50th overall pick. I really like him; he had nice shooting percentages in college and played pretty solid defense. I was advocating for Atlanta to pick a college guard with their second-round pick, and I think they got a great one with Mays. He’ll contribute to Atlanta sooner rather than later, especially if an injury to Kris Dunn or Rajon Rondo occurs.
Nathan Knight
2020 Stats: 20.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 52.4% FG, 30.5% 3P
Nathan isn’t a guy we’ve discussed thus far, but he was a very coveted UDFA. His numbers out of William & Mary are pretty hard to ignore. Knight was a force for the Tribe down low, and he won the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the year award to go along with his CAA Defensive Player of the Year award. Knight has lots of hardware and eye-popping stats, but like Mays, he’s on a two-way contract. Nathan is an athletic and strong big with some touch on his shot, but he’s still a very raw prospect. If he can put it together, he will make 29 teams regret passing on him on draft night.
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