A look at the biggest needs for the Atlanta Hawks in free agency and twelve players that might fit that bill.
The Atlanta Hawks improved by five wins in the 2018-19 regular season from 24 to 29 wins. However, perusing Cleaning the Glass’s stats for the whole league shows that the Hawks actually outperformed their point differential by 4.6 – meaning they got lucky or relied on Trae Young’s clutch gene – to produce more wins for a team that was on pace to stay right at 24 wins this season as well.
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Still though, improvement is improvement, and if the team is winning more in the first season of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman playing together with John Collins under first-year head coach Lloyd Pierce, then that’s progress, baby.
Still though, the 2019 offseason will be a critical one for the Atlanta Hawks, as the team will have two Top 10 draft picks (#8 & #10) as well as a glut of cap space (upwards of $40 million) with which to augment the team’s young core.
We have previously explored myriad options for the team in free agency, but for this list, we are going to rank a list of twelve players that the Atlanta Hawks could reasonably target in free agency from worst to best fit.
Note: All of these players would fit quite well on the Atlanta Hawks, though some would certainly fit better than others. Also, let it be noted that Kevin Durant does not make an appearance on this list, though he would be greeted as a conquering king if he decided he wants to play in Atlanta.
Let’s start the list!
#12. Thomas Bryant
The Atlanta Hawks are definitely in the market for a big man (both in free agency and the 2019 NBA Draft), considering that Dewayne Dedmon is a free agent this offseason, and he will likely go to a contender after two extremely successful season with the Atlanta Hawks.
As such, the Hawks have been linked to various big men in the 2019 NBA Draft as well as a multitude of free agent big men when free agency rolls around later this summer.
One such player that would fit the team’s need for youthful big men is Thomas Bryant of the Washington Wizards. Bryant will only be 22 next season – still fully in the team’s youth-oriented timeline – and he was an extremely efficient scorer on offense last year for the Wiz.
Per Basketball Reference, Bryant actually led the NBA in two-point field goal percentage at 68.5 percent, and he was fourth in true shooting percentage (67.4%) and second in effective field goal percentage (64.8%). Furthermore, he was tops on the Wizards in points per shot attempt according to Cleaning the Glass; his 136 points per 100 shot attempts was in the 95th percentile among all big men in the league.
Bryant put forth effort and energy every night, which was a facet of his game that really popped alongside his mostly sleepwalking Wizards teammates. Though his offensive numbers were striking, his defense was slightly less inspiring – which is a bummer, considering that’s where the Atlanta Hawks need the most help at the center spot. As such, Bryant is rated last on this list (though still a good fit).
#11. Iman Shumpert
Though not the biggest name on this free agency board for the Atlanta Hawks, Iman Shumpert is an NBA Champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has also seen it all in the NBA as a seven-year veteran.
During the 2018-19 season, Shumpert was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Houston Rockets, where he was expected to be an important part of a Rockets team that had significantly threatened the Golden State Warriors during the previous postseason.
However, Shumpert struggled to find his place in Houston’s surgical offensive scheme, where he was mostly relegated to spotting up for three-pointers (his 72.4 percent three-point attempt rate was easily a career-high for Shump).
As a member of the Kings, Shumpert was something of a galvanizing force – serving as a veteran leader for a young, up-and-coming team. Due to his exuberant confidence and veteran status, Shumpert often ended up being a play finisher for the Kings when no other offense could be found – leading to some analytically unsound long two-pointers, but also a comfortableness with the Kings that he just never found in Houston.
Could he return to a young team like the Atlanta Hawks in a similar role to how he played with the Kings? If his three-point shot returns to at least league-average, Shump would make for a savvy veteran alongside (hopefully) Vince Carter in the locker room.
#10. Christian Wood
Christian Wood only saw action in 21 games during the 2018-19 season, but, luckily for Wood in this case, one of those games happened to be against the Atlanta Hawks – who have notoriously bad defense.
As such, Wood capital-w “went off” against the Hawks to the tune of a mammoth game on both ends of the court. Though Wood only played 8 games with the New Orleans Pelicans, he made his presence felt and thoroughly made the Milwaukee Bucks look silly for cutting him loose mid-season.
After being picked up off waivers by New Orleans, Wood was one of the team’s most consistent contributors, producing 16.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks per game and an excellent 61.3 percent true shooting clip in only 23.6 minutes per contest, per Basketball Reference.
Beyond that, Wood shot a lofty 72 percent at the rim with Pels per Cleaning the Glass, which was third on the team behind only Wesley Johnson and Jrue Holiday – and surprisingly ahead of superstar Anthony Davis.
On defense, Wood’s block and steal rates were in the 81st and 83rd percentile, respectively per Cleaning the Glass, and his rebounding numbers on offense and defense convey an all-around impactful player that could help the Atlanta Hawks on both ends.
With the requisite age (24 in September) and length for the Hawks (6-foot-10, 7-foot-3 wingspan), Wood would make for an excellent low-cost flyer in free agency for the Atlanta Hawks.
#9. Ivica Zubac
Another young player who will be a restricted free agent this offseason is Ivica Zubac of both the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers. Zubac was part of the ill-fated Mike Muscala trade from the Lakers to the Clippers, which prompted Clippers advisor (and NBA legend) Jerry West to laugh heartily at the Lakers’ utter dysfunction.
It must be noted that Zubac’s raw numbers increased as a member of the Clippers due to an expanded, fully starter-level role, but his efficiency noticeably dipped due to playing alongside higher-level competition.
Still though, Zubac was the starter for the Clippers team that gave the Warriors their toughest challenge of the Playoffs, which included a miraculous 31-point comeback that will live in NBA lore for years to come.
According to Basketball Reference, across the two L.A. teams he played for in 2018-19, Zubac produced career-highs in minutes played (1040), Player Efficiency Rating (18.9), true shooting percentage (60.4%), win shares (3.2) and box plus/minus (-0.3) – though he was actually a +0.3 BPM as a starter for the Clips.
On defense, Zubac produced a rock-solid 2.3 percent block rate with the Clippers (73rd percentile among bigs per Cleaning the Glass), while providing a big body to defend the paint, box out and nab rebounds on the interior.
At only 22 years old next season (until March), Zubac would make for a good fit on the Atlanta Hawks going forward as part of the team’s young core – unless they opt for a big man in the 2019 NBA Draft.
#8. Danny Green
We have previously explored why Danny Green on the Atlanta Hawks would be a perfect fit going into the 2019-20 season, but it’s worth exploring again here.
An area where the team desperately needs help is defensively in the backcourt, where Atlanta needs a sturdy defender to help paper over the glaring weaknesses in Trae Young’s game on the defensive end at the point of attack.
Green, a 10-year NBA veteran and All-Defensive Team selection in 2016-17, would fit that bill perfectly. Per ESPN’s real plus/minus metric, Green was the 11th-ranked player in the entire NBA in that category – directly ahead of All-NBA selections such as Rudy Gobert, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving.
Green was also tops among all shooting guards in RPM, miles ahead of lauded players such as Bradley Beal, Victor Oladipo, Andre Iguodala and CJ McCollum.
Furthermore, BBall Index’s player impact plus/minus ranks Green as the 19th player in PIPM in the league ahead of a smorgasbord of big names such as Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell Westbrook and Al Horford.
Lastly, Green produced perhaps his best, most efficient season at age 31 with the Raptors by shooting 45.5 percent from deep on a near career-high 69 percent three-point attempt rate per Basketball Reference. Couple that with a career-high 63.2 percent true shooting percentage and you have the makings of a brilliant fit alongside Trae Young at the two guard.
#7. Noah Vonleh
Noah Vonleh, who has surprisingly been in the league for five years already, broke out in a big way for the heavily tanking New York Knicks in the 2018-19 season on the way to a career year.
Vonleh seemed to turn the corner after coming into the league as a vaunted Top 10 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, tacking on huge gains in the gym – making him a fairly staunch defender while providing a swiss-army-knife role on offense.
Defense was where the Atlanta Hawks would need Vonleh’s skills the most, and it’s where his numbers perked up the most in his fifth season. Vonleh produced career-highs in steal rate (1.3%), defensive win shares (1.7) and defensive box plus/minus (+1.6) all while playing a career-high 1722 minutes on the season.
Though Vonleh mostly played at the four during the 2018-19 season (73 percent of his minutes), the four man role is capably filled by John Collins for now, so Vonleh would either have to come off the bench or serve as a small-ball five (which he played 27 percent of the time last season).
On the Atlanta Hawks, centers are expected to be able to spot up for three-pointers, which is something Vonleh showed he could capably do last season. Vonleh produced the highest three-point attempt rate of his career (31.1 percent) while hitting the triple at a 33.6 percent clip.
While not eye-popping, that number should keep the defense honest, which is all the Atlanta Hawks need of their centers in Lloyd Pierce’s modern offensive system.
#6. Kelly Oubre
As an Atlanta Hawks fan that’s still stinging from the time that Coach/GM Mike Budenholzer traded away the rights to Kelly Oubre for roughly a season and a half of Tim Hardaway Jr., Oubre returning to the Atlanta Hawks via free agency this offseason sounds like sweet, sweet music to this writer’s ears.
If only for his general coolness and supreme good looks, Oubre would make for a terrific fit on the Atlanta Hawks. When looking at the basketball fit, Oubre would still be a welcome addition to the team.
With Taurean Prince likely on the way out via trade, Oubre plays a position of need for the Hawks next season. Beyond that, the 23-year-old showcased an interesting skill set during his time with the Phoenix Suns after the surprising Trevor Ariza trade during the regular season. While his individual numbers weren’t eye-popping as a Sun, Oubre did produce the highest true shooting percentage of his career (55.5%) on the highest usage rate (24.7%) in Phoenix, per Basketball Reference.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Suns had a +6.1 net rating when Oubre was on the floor – just behind franchise linchpin Devin Booker on the team – and the team’s point differential shot up by 5 points when Oubre played (in the 88th percentile among forwards).
From a selfish perspective, Oubre also frequently dominated the Hawks in the Playoffs, so at least we wouldn’t have to worry about that happening again if he was on our side!
#5. Malcolm Brogdon
With a steely gaze and a nickname like The President, one would expect Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks to be cool, calm and collected at all times. So far in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, that has been the case for the third-year guard.
Brogdon, who snuck in a Rookie of the Year award in 2016-17 due to Joel Embiid’s injury-truncated season, has been extremely consistent in the playoff crucible throughout his career. He knows his role, and he is also a tremendously smart player who knows how to leverage his strength on defense.
By all accounts, Brogdon had a tremendous, career year for the best team in the Eastern Conference, as he produced career-highs per Basketball Reference in points per game (15.6), rebounds per game (4.5), true shooting percentage (61.4%), player efficiency rating (17.8), usage rate (20.7%), win shares (6.5) and box plus/minus (+1.5).
Furthermore, Brogdon actually led the Bucks in effective field goal percentage per Cleaning the Glass with a lofty 57.5 eFG%, which was in the 98th percentile among guards in the NBA in the 2018-19 season.
Now, Brogdon will be a restricted free agent this offseason, which means the Bucks will be able to match any offer sheet he gets in free agency. With ample cap space, the Atlanta Hawks should be willing to throw a fairly attractive offer sheet his way for a player that would greatly help the Hawks’ team defense, while providing steady backup PG or off guard play for Trae Young.
#4. Maxi Kleber
In his second NBA season at age 27, Maxi Kleber of the Dallas Mavericks showcased his unique skill set in the NBA. Every team is looking for a player that can spot up for three on offense and protect the rim on defense, and Kleber is one of the few players in the league that is a free agent this offseason that matches that profile.
Though, once again, Kleber played the majority of his minutes at the power forward spot this season – which would not fly alongside John Collins – Kleber did see 16 percent of his minutes at the five with the Mavs in 2018-19, though that’s likely not a long-term option.
Still though, Kleber produced career-highs in both three-point attempt rate (56.5% and three-point percentage (35.3%) in his second season with the Mavs, showcasing a growth in both volume and efficiency from beyond the arc.
Combine that with a career-high 4.4 percent block rate (which was 11th in the NBA), and you have the makings of a stretch four with solid defensive anticipation – a perfect complement to an Atlanta Hawks team that adores spacing and also sorely needs some help side shot-blocking.
As a restricted free agent, it seems rather likely that the Mavs will match any contract that the Atlanta Hawks throw Kleber’s way, but the team should at least make an offer.
#3. Kevon Looney
DeMarcus Cousins was always going to be something of a luxury for the defending champion Golden State Warriors, so when he went down with an injury in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, no one really batted an eye.
The team was still loaded with Hall of Famers and they have so much talent that they can just tumble their way into winning titles.
Cousins’s loss was felt even less when it was realized that fourth-year big man Kevon Looney could provide a simulacrum of what Cousins offers the team – combined with the continuity of being drafted and groomed by the team since the 2015 NBA Draft.
Looney has blown up in the Playoffs, showcasing his overall skill set as a rebounder, defender and opportunistic scorer alongside some of the best players in NBA history.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Looney attempted a whopping 80 percent of his shots at the rim, which was in the 92nd percentile among bigs. On those attempts, he hit 70 percent of them, which is in the 77th percentile.
Of course, big men on the Atlanta Hawks have to provide some semblance of spacing, and, on that front, Looney has only attempted 26 career three-pointers, hitting them on a less than 20 percent clip. However, per Cleaning the Glass, he shot 53 percent on long mid-range shots, which was in the 94th percentile among big men.
If Looney can step out a bit further and get comfortable from deep, he would make for an excellent fit for the Atlanta Hawks at center due to his length, athleticism and basketball IQ.
#2. Patrick Beverley
We have previously outlined why Patrick Beverley should be the Atlanta Hawks number one priority this offseason despite not being particularly youthful.
What he is, however, is a complete beast on defense – often claiming the toughest assignment on any given night such as during this year’s Playoffs when he specifically asked for the tall task of guarding one of the most unstoppable scorers in NBA history: Kevin Durant.
Beverley’s defense is truly his calling card, and he is also just an intensely focused on-ball defender with a penchant for getting under the skin of his mark – sometimes leading to technical fouls and snappy back-and-forths with who he is guarding.
Per ESPN’s real plus/minus metric, Beverley was 6th in defensive real plus/minus among point guards during the 2018-19 season – notably ahead of both guards that were named to First Team All-Defense: Marcus Smart and Eric Bledsoe.
Beverly would make for one of the best fits on this entire list on the Atlanta Hawks due to being far more effective as an off-ball threat who can expend much of his energy on defense. Beverley’s shockingly low usage rate of 13.9 percent per Cleaning the Glass placed him in the 3rd percentile among guards.
However, his assist to usage ration of 1.32 was in the 87th percentile, showcasing Beverley’s ability to make the right play every time.
Beverley’s presence on the Atlanta Hawks would mean Trae Young wouldn’t have to worry about facing off against him on the opposing team, too, which is certainly something that Ice Trae should be happy about.
#1. Klay Thompson
Last but far from least is Klay Thompson, one of the Golden State Warriors feted Splash Brothers. While the Atlanta Hawks might be looking to recreate General Manager Travis Schlenk’s success in Atlanta with his own version of the “bros,” why wouldn’t he want to actually sign one of them himself?
The Atlanta Hawks will have ample cap space this summer and Klay will be looking to get paid. Of course, the Warriors will do everything in their power to make Klay happy, but perhaps he wants to try out a different situation?
Klay is one of the biggest swing pieces in the 2019 NBA offseason, as his decision could alter the face of the NBA. Most of the talk surrounding Klay is that he will likely re-sign with the Warriors, but if he didn’t… the Hawks would make for an attractive option.
Thompson is already 16th on the all-time list in terms of three-pointers made with 1798, and threes and layups is exactly what Lloyd Pierce wants out of his team going forward.
In the 2018-19 season, per Cleaning the Glass, Thompson shot 69 percent at the rim (88th percentile among wings) and 40 percent from deep (87th percentile). Both of those numbers would be a huge boon for an Atlanta Hawks team that often sputtered out in terms of finishing the most efficient shots in the NBA – though their frequency on those shots was extremely high.
All of these players would make for brilliant fits on the Atlanta Hawks heading into next season, but who would you like to see the most? Let us know in the comments or on social media. As always, keep it locked to Soaring Down South for plenty more offseason Atlanta Hawks coverage. Thanks for reading!