The Atlanta Hawks aren’t expected to be major players in free agency; outside of re-signing John Collins, that is. They have a well-rounded mix of veterans and young players that got a ton of great experience in the playoffs last season. But they cannot rest on their laurels as the rest of the East is sure to make improvements.
Since so much is about to change in the next few days, let’s focus just on the Southeast division. Now, unlike some sports, divisions only come into play with tie-breakers since the NBA abandoned seeding rules.
Still, as a preliminary measuring stick, it can be useful to see how the teams stack up against one another.
How do the Atlanta Hawks stack up to the rest of the division ahead of free agency?
It was a good year for the Hawks against the Southeast in 2021. They went 9-3, their most wins and best winning percentage against any division last season. It was evenly spread too, with Atlanta sweeping both the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards while taking 2-of-3 games from the Miami Heat.
The Charlotte Hornets were the only division foe to have a winning record against them, going 2-1 versus the Hawks. Atlanta would have the last laugh, though, earning the fifth seed in the playoffs and making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Here’s the rub: the others in the division are expected to be big players in free agency.
That means they will improve forcing the Hawks to do the same, albeit most likely at a lesser level. They had a great draft and have a roster that should contend for years to come.
So, before free agency officially begins, let’s take a spin around the division to rank the teams.
Power ranking the Atlanta Hawks division: The Magic have talent but need to stay healthy
Which Orlando Magic is the real one? Is it the team that managed to finish in the top two in the division in two of the last three years or the one that finished last in the Southeast in six of the last nine years, including five straight from 2013-2017?
Injuries played a big part in last season’s demise and there are a lot of new faces on the roster, but history isn’t on their side.
That’s not to say they can’t be a tough matchup on any given night.
Wendell Carter Jr. seemed to acclimate himself well to his new digs and should look even better with a healthy Jonathan Isaac, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, playing beside him.
They are expected to trade Terrence Ross and Otto Porter is an unrestricted free agent who’s expected to move on.
However, Chuma Okeke has shown flashes and could be ready for an expanded role.
Orlando has some intriguing guard options as well, including this year’s fifth-overall pick Jalen Suggs. He joins last year’s first-round pick, Cole Anthony, and the oft-injured Markelle Fultz in a rotation that will cause some headaches if all can stay healthy. That’s been a tall task for Fultz and was for Anthony as a rookie.
There are wasted picks such as Mo Bamba and R.J. Hampton that are buried on the bench and the message sent by last year’s trades of Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon was this team is rebuilding.
With them not being tied to any free agents of merit, that should carry over for at least another year.
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.
Power ranking the Atlanta Hawks division: Miami is once again looking to make a splash in free agency
Just one year after reaching the NBA Finals and taking the eventual champion Lakers six games, Miami was swept in the first round by the eventual champion Bucks. There’s something to hang your hat on somewhere in there, but you can be sure Pat Riley doesn’t see it that way. The same goes for Jimmy Butler.
You can also be sure that Riley will stop at nothing — short of disrupting the culture, of course — to bring another championship to Miami.
His last big splash, trading a package including Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley for Victor Oladipo. The former first-round pick of the Magic only lasted four games in a Heat uniform before succumbing to another knee injury.
One thing Miami has that Washington doesn’t is a proper second star for Butler in Bam Adebayo. They’re also rumored to be in on both Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan.
That would certainly be a tough group to deal with and could affect their standings on this list after they went just 6-6 against the Southeast last season.
Miami also has the ability to pivot entirely and go with a youth movement around Adebayo.
Tyler Herro, restricted free agent Duncan Robinson, KZ Okpala, and Precious Achiuwa present a decent foundation for attracting the next star looking to take their talents to South Beach.
That move is more likely to come next season if they strike out in free agency this offseason.
If there is a flaw in the Heat’s primary plan it’s that they’re banking on older players while our top two teams in the division are good now with younger, and perhaps deeper, rosters.
Don’t expect Miami to roll over but they will find the sledding much tougher next season.
Power ranking the Atlanta Hawks division: Charlotte found their star and are the biggest threat
The Charlotte Hornets are a lot like the Hawks; a very talented group of players that become greater than the sum of their parts thanks to their difference-maker point guards. LaMelo Ball entered the league with a ton of hype and delivered out of the gate.
He won Rookie of the Year over first overall pick, Anthony Edwards, despite missing time with a wrist injury.
That’s why a team that finished fourth in the division has jumped two of the three teams that finished ahead of them last season.
Ball changed their entire outlook and they should be better as a group another year in.
They had the second-best record versus the divisions at 8-4 and didn’t get a full year of Ball or Gordon Hayward.
Terry Rozier looked very much worth his hefty contract (and even vindicated ownership for essentially choosing him over Kemba Walker) and they also offered the qualifying offer to Devonte’ Graham.
P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges have also turned into valuable role players.
Malik Monk has seemingly found a level of comfort in the NBA too but Charlotte did not tender him a qualifying offer so he will be an unrestricted free agent.
James Bouknight, who the Hornets took with the 11th pick of the draft on Thursday, should eventually become a legit second option behind Ball or, at the very least, a competent sixth-man who can get his own shot.
This ranking is still largely based on the potential of this roster (as well as steps back by division rivals) but the Hornets roster has them set up for years to come with a few more smart moves.
Power ranking the Atlanta Hawks division: The Hawks have only gotten better this offseason
It’s hard to imagine a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals could be much better the following year. That’s where Trae Young and the Hawks stand, though, after you realize how many games they lost to injury last season. Atlanta finished with 293 games missed due to injury, ranking fourth in a season of increased injury.
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They should have De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish fully healthy this coming year. That alone will do wonders for their wing defense that was an issue down the stretch in the playoffs.
They won’t have Onyeka Okongwu until January thanks to shoulder surgery.
But he averaged just 12 minutes per game during the regular season and just over 11 minutes per in the playoffs. Atlanta should be able to temporarily replace him until he comes back.
What they will have a harder time doing is replacing Collins should they not match a max offer sheet. Some may argue whether or not he is worth that but you can’t deny his impact on the Hawks offense and his role in the turnaround as a whole.
As we’ve said before, it would be a shame to see Schlenk’s first pick with the Hawks leave.
Again though, reports are that won’t be the case and the focus of next season will be what the Hawks do with their plethora of talented wings.
For the time being, the Hawks can be selective in picking a suitable backup to Clint Capela.
We could even see them wait for the first wave to get the best bargain but this just illustrates how good of a position they’ve been put in by management. It’s also why they top our (totally unbiased) list.