Atlanta Hawks: Options just another reminder of swelling cap sheet

The Atlanta Hawks enjoyed a nice turnaround last season. Not just historically either; though they hadn’t been to the postseason in four years. They resuscitated their season with a coaching change and some introspection. Years of solid draft classes paid off on the court as Trae Young and John Collins have already earned massive second contracts.

Kevin Huerter is up next and there have been discussions of him being a priority for some time. Still, there has been little movement on this front.

However, the three options picked up by the team on Friday, while procedural on the surface, signal part of the next challenge for these Hawks. They’ll have to maintain their level of competitiveness as they begin to pay for the roster outside of just its big three.

The Atlanta Hawks on-court success will ultimately determine financial future

Wings De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish — the fourth and 10th overall picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, respectively — had their fourth-year options picked up while big man and 2020 sixth-overall pick Onyeka Okongwu had his third-year option picked up. None of the moves were surprises.

All of them hold significant weight for the franchise.

Timing is everything and Atlanta would sure like to see more out of both Hunter (15.0/4.8/1.9) and Reddish (11.2/4.0/1.3) after the pair combined to appear in just 49 games last season with only 15 of them together.

Both have flashed their immense potential. Hunter averaged over 22 points for a five-game stretch right before initially going down with his injury.

Reddish went off in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals for 21 points.

They’ll need to show more consistency and the only way they can do that is if they can stay healthy this season. This team is looking to contend, not continue to develop (primarily).

Okongwu’s situation isn’t nearly as pressing. Though, he is out until at least January with a shoulder injury. The good news is he has been around the team this summer working out. His biggest challenge will be getting back into the flow of things after such a long layoff. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet but showed tremendous defensive versatility, especially in the postseason.

Of course, Young and Collins both had some injury concerns in previous years and even missed time last season. But they still proved worth a potential $332 million in new money this offseason.

It’s unlikely all three of Hunter, Reddish, and Okongwu would cost that much combined. But their price tags will have just as much of an impact.

Ownership has said it is willing to pay up for a title contender. And they still have time on their side. But they’ve also acknowledged they likely won’t be able to retain everyone. This season will go a long way towards determining how strong the commitment to the current group is.