Future of Atlanta Hawks is unknown without GM in place

The Atlanta Hawks face a summer of uncertainty thanks to their search for a new general manager.

There are plenty of minutes on the Atlanta Hawks’ roster heading into free agency. Paul Millsap, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ersan Ilysova, Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Muscala, Kris Humphries, and Jose Calderon will all enter free agency this summer.

The Hawks finished the season at 43-39 overall and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Wizards. Atlanta extended their playoff appearance streak to 10 seasons in a row, second in the league to only the San Antonio Spurs.

More from Soaring Down South

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal

It was assumed that with Coach Mike Budenholzer in the front office, the Hawks would keep a roster intact that’s capable of making a playoff run.

After Budenholzer resigned from his duties as president of basketball operations, and Wes Wilcox was relieved of general manager duties, the direction the team will take is up in the air.

Budenholzer will still be involved in the front office, but new heads with more say-so will work with him.

Principal Owner Tony Ressler aims to hire a new general manager before the NBA Draft, on June 22. If the Hawks do not hire a general manager before the draft begins, there could be an array of issues to follow.

Budenholzer, who was on the Spurs staff from 1994-2013, has missed the playoffs just once in his career.

With Budenholzer still involved in personnel decisions, his approach to the offseason could be the exact opposite of the new general manager, if hired after the draft.

Paul Millsap will be the first order of business once free agency begins on July 1. Millsap has said he will opt out of the last year of his current contract, but insists he wants to remain in Atlanta.

Millsap’s performance under his current contract has made it possible for him to sign a max contract of $207 million, spanning five years.

The 32 year-old is by far the most valuable to the Hawks, but there are reasons to think twice about committing to such a large financial obligation. Paul Millsap is one of the best in the game at drawing contact. As a result, he takes a beating that few players do.

Millsap missed 13 games this season, and will only get older. Although a fairly healthy player throughout his career, there’s no way to predict how Millsap’s body will hold up during the next five years.

Millsap’s 44.2 shooting percentage was the worst of his career, but he took on more responsibilities than ever before. He became Atlanta’s clear closer as the season ended, an area that has been problematic during the last few seasons.

The Hawks were 3-10 without Millsap in the lineup. If Atlanta doesn’t offer Millsap a max contract, they risk losing irreplaceable production, and put making the playoffs in serious jeopardy.

Perhaps the new front office’s second most important task is to act on Tim Hardaway Jr.’s looming free agency. The 6-foot-6 guard is a restricted free agent, coming off of a career season.

Hardaway led the Hawks in three-point shooting and learned how to get baskets without much help. Once again, his defense improved in bunches, with another year playing in Atlanta under his belt.

Hardaway improved as the season progressed, raising his points per game every single month. He ended April averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, shooting 50.6 percent, and 41.4 percent from deep, all monthly highs.

Hardaway was not himself in the playoffs. He finished the Washington series shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 26.2 percent on three-pointers.

At the same time, wing rookie Taurean Prince played his best basketball of the year. Whether the two will excel while both starting can only be answered if Atlanta re-signs Hardaway.

If Atlanta re-signs Millsap, the Hawks will be back in the playoffs for an 11th consecutive year.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Postseason Player Power Rankings

Atlanta could make serious noise in the league if Hardaway is also brought back, and Taurean Prince builds upon his late season performance.