Atlanta Hawks: If the salary cap explodes again the franchise is well set
The Atlanta Hawks have had an offseason like few other franchises have ever had. They covered all their needs including signing backup big man Gorgui Dieng which will have playoff implications, especially if the Hawks play Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
They also removed their dead-weight salary in the form of Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando and bought in Delon Wright as part of their trade with the Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings. This means that almost every player on the roster will be playable on any given night giving the Hawks a tremendous level of depth at every position.
On top of that, they extended Trae Young and John Collins which, barring injury, future-proofs the franchise for a long time. To that end, the Hawks also extended Clint Capela for another two seasons at the end of his current deal meaning that they have their core locked up for a number of years to come.
The Atlanta Hawks may be a step ahead of their competition
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According to a recent tweet by Bryan Toporek of Forbes Sports, the salary cap is primed to explode again and if it does, the Hawks are in a prime position to strike. They have a winning core signed and if the cap spikes, they are in a great position to sign quality free agents to fill out their roster.
There are a number of teams, most of them are contenders now who have gone well over the salary cap, deep into the luxury tax on their players. The cap spiking may help them lower the tax bill but they will not be in a position to improve their team.
Likewise, teams that are near the cap but not seen to be contenders will be in danger of offering the type of deal the Los Angeles Lakers offered Timofey Mozgov when the cap exploded the last time. This sort of contract can hamper the development of a team’s roster if given to the wrong team.
Next. Revisiting the Clint Capela trade. dark
The Hawks have the perfect blend of youth, talent, and stability about their roster which would be very appealing. Young, Collins and Capela could very well be the core to a championship-winning team.