Atlanta Hawks: 3 ‘plan b’ free-agent options to explore

The Atlanta Hawks are set to begin what amounts to their most critical offseason in quite some time in earnest. Thursday’s NBA Draft will give way to the start of free agency just a few days later on Aug 2, though deals can’t be finalized until Aug 6. That got us thinking about possible moves that may need to be made if ‘Plan A’ has to change.

Specifically, which free agents, that aren’t targets now, could be of interest if the Hawks use their young assets to consolidate for a superstar or draft-day trade, “resetting” the rookie scale clock?

John Collins’ restricted free agency will dictate a lot; from the financials to the plan on the court. Re-signing him locks him in as your second-best player on a contender but accelerates the need to manage the cap.

Letting the first pick in this rebuild walk, though, could prove even more detrimental by the message it sends to the rest of the roster and fanbase.

The Atlanta Hawks will need alternative options if things don’t go their way in free agency

It also creates a hole in the lineup that some might think the Hawks are better equipped to fill than the Hawks themselves. That’s what we’ve felt is the greatest challenge for General Manager Travis Schlenk, finding the right balance of maintaining the culture of development while also being shrewd enough to maximize a championship window.

Comments from brass sound as though every effort will be made to keep Collins in Atlanta for years to come. They also sound as though they have a limit they aren’t willing to go over but, as we’ve discussed, the market might determine that’s what it takes

So let’s take a look at some free agents who could become options should Collins — or one of several other Hawks assets brought up in rumors lately — wind up elsewhere.