Championship contenders aren’t built overnight and it’s going to take a few more years for the Atlanta Hawks. Let’s look at their dream offseasons.
The Atlanta Hawks have been rebuilding for what feels like an eternity at this point, but thanks to the emergence of Trae Young, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. However, Trae Young won’t be able to single-handedly turn this franchise around, he will eventually need help.
Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter and John Collins appear to be some form of help for Young, however, it has yet to translate to victories. The Atlanta Hawks finished out this season 20-47, far from championship or even playoff contention.
It would be ideal if the Hawks could continue to grow through the draft, but considering the difficulty of hitting on draft pick after draft pick, they will soon need to turn to free agency.
It’s nearly impossible that the Hawks end up signing all three of the players I’m about to name, however, if they could land just one of them, they would set the team up for long-term success. Signing two of them would make the Hawks a championship contender as soon as 2022.
If the Atlanta Hawks primary goal is to win an NBA championship with Trae Young, which it should be, they need to be doing everything they can to maximize Young’s prime. Fortunately, Trae Young appears to be entering his prime far earlier than anyone could have predicted.
A top tier free agent signing in at least one of the next three offseasons is one way of maximizing Trae Young’s prime. And if they can find a star player that also fits in with Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter and John Collins, this team will be dangerous.
Let’s take a look at one star the Atlanta Hawks should be looking to sign in each of the next three offseasons.
2020 Offseason: Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram would be a perfect fit with the Atlanta Hawks on both sides of the ball. He’s one of the best scorers in the NBA that can thrive as both a primary and secondary ball-handler alongside Trae Young. He’s also a really good perimeter defender which the Hawks desperately need.
Ingram is at the end of his rookie-scale contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer. It’s a near guarantee that Brandon Ingram signs a max contract this offseason but the only looming question is with what team?
Brandon Ingram had a breakout season for the New Orleans Pelicans this year averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, all career highs. So you would assume he may want to re-sign with the Pelicans. And you would assume that the Pelicans would match any offer to bring back Ingram.
However, considering the fact that many of Ingrams 2016 draft counterparts such as Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray and Ben Simmons all received massive contract extensions this season and Ingram didn’t, he may not be so inclined to return.
Regardless of Ingram’s feelings towards the Pelicans, New Orleans has the ability to match any offer that teams throw at Ingram. Thus, it is incredibly unlikely that Ingram is going anywhere.
In the off chance that the Pelicans don’t feel that Ingram is worth a max contract, the Atlanta Hawks would be an ideal fit for him.
2021 Offseason: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the best player in the NBA right now and he would be a perfect fit with any team, but his fit with the Atlanta Hawks is tantalizing. The impact he has defensively would help the Hawks immensely and watching a pick and roll between Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo would be insanely exciting
Antetokounmpo’s contract comes to an end after next season and he will have no shortage of suitors. Giannis is currently on one of the best bargain contracts in the NBA but he will have unlimited max contract offers in the 2021 offseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming off his best NBA season where he averaged 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, in what is likely a back-to-back MVP season.
The Milwaukee Bucks are championship contenders as long as Giannis is around, but if they don’t win an NBA championship in the next two years Giannis may begin to look elsewhere. At this point, Antetokounmpo appears to be faithful to the Bucks but a lot can change in two years.
A lot of teams are rumoured to be ‘gearing up’ for the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes in 2021 including the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, however, the Atlanta Hawks could be a sneaky good fit for The Greek Freak.
If the Atlanta Hawks somehow manages to land Giannis Antetokounmpo is 2021, that would almost guarantee a championship in the very near future. One can dream.
2022 Offseason: Bradley Beal
When it comes to winning an NBA championship, it’s not always about fit… sometimes it’s just about amassing as much talent as possible.
The defensive backcourt between Trae Young and Bradley Beal would be far from ideal, but offensively, this team would be a juggernaut. Who needs to play defense if you can score 150 points per game???
Bradley Beal just signed a contract extension this past summer so it’s crazy to be thinking about his 2022 free agency already, but it’s something the Atlanta Hawks should be and likely are doing.
Beal had easily the best season of his career this year posting numbers of 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Although the Washington Wizards as a team were pretty terrible, Bradley Beal was pretty terrific.
If Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter and John Collins all continue to improve defensively, the Atlanta Hawks could afford to have two terrible defenders in Trae Young and Bradley Beal on their roster. That would be an incredibly potent starting five and if they could just survive on defense, they would be a really scary team.
I think it’s pretty clear that the Hawks could benefit more from signing Brandon Ingram and especially Giannis Antetokounmpo. But if they swing and miss on those guys over the next two offseasons and Bradley Beal is available in 2022, he’s a pretty sweet consolation prize.