Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: Power ranking the Southeast Division ahead of free agency

By Joshua Buckhalter

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks controls the ball as Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat defendsduring the second half of an NBA game at State Farm Arena on February 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 20: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks controls the ball as Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat defendsduring the second half of an NBA game at State Farm Arena on February 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Power ranking the Atlanta Hawks division: Washington’s place on this list is tenuous at best

Bradley Beal is the only thing keeping the Washington Wizards ahead of the Orlando Magic in these power rankings. That means they and the Magic could very well be flipped in the next week or so should the unthinkable happen and he finally requests a trade out of D.C.

There would be no shortage of suitors, just as there isn’t now when we have no inkling he wants to go.

It’s a tricky spot for a playoff team that was 3-9 against the division and their moves this offseason haven’t cleared anything up.

Washington shipped Russell Westbrook to the Lakers for a package that included Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell.

Management cited building a better roster around Beal but neither Kuzma nor Harrell inspire much confidence in that regard.

In the draft, they added Corey Kispert of Gonzaga to a forward rotation that includes last year’s first-round pick in Deni Avdija and 2019 first-rounder Rui Hachimura. Hachimura showed signs of being a capable modern four, but Avdija was underwhelming in his rookie season.

It’s too soon to give up on either but there isn’t a star in the bunch.

We have gotten hints that further moves could be coming but it’s hard not to imagine those would push them further towards a rebuild than contention.

That’s just where most of the conversation surrounding them has been.

They’ve obviously shown a willingness to go all-in when trying to keep Beal happy, so ruling out them (somehow) pulling off another big trade would be ignoring their recent track record.

But they’re still starting from a “lesser than” position in comparison to the division’s top teams.