Atlanta Hawks: Draft Is Over, Here Comes 2019 Free Agency
By Chris Guest
A quick look at the situation for the Atlanta Hawks in free agency this offseason.
After what was a highly successful 2019 NBA Draft, Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk and his front office must now turn their attention to free agency.
There will likely be an immense amount of player movement this offseason with multiple stars and superstars changing teams when the free agent moratorium lifts late on June 30, but it seems likely that the Hawks won’t be doing too much after the team took on two ugly contracts in order to accrue draft assets.
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Of course, at this point, you all know that the Atlanta Hawks moved up to #4 overall in order to draft De’Andre Hunter, but it also cost the Hawks cap space in the form of the final year of Solomon Hill’s contract – worth $12.8 million.
Did the Hawks overpay for the rights to draft Hunter? Possibly. But if that was the price to complete the team’s young core, then it was worth it, as the team now has one of the most interesting and multifaceted young cores of any team in the NBA.
For this offseason, the Hawks only have just over $12 million in practical cap space per Spotrac due to having four truly hideous contracts on the books for next year in Hill, Allen Crabbe, Kent Bazemore and Miles Plumlee.
However, all four of those deals will be off the books next season, meaning the team will be huge players in the 2020 offseason, as opposed to this one.
With that in mind, what should the Hawks focus on this offseason? For this writer, re-signing players such as Dewayne Dedmon, Justin Anderson and Vince Carter should be top of the list, unless their asking prices are too high.
Next. Grading All 3 Hawks Picks in 2019 Draft. dark
There will be plenty of fireworks this offseason in free agency, though maybe not so much for the Hawks. Either way, keep it locked to Soaring Down South for all your Hawks news and updates.