While the Atlanta Hawks are looking to revamp their roster for next season. One of the moves they may have thought about making was to pursue the talents of Jalen Brunson who had a breakout series in the playoffs when Luka Doncic was out injured.
Brunson was a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft and has been playing for a minimum deal, worth only $6.1 million for the four years. Now that he has shown what he is truly capable of, the price of his next contract has gone up exponentially.
According to Erin Walsh of Bleacher Report, the deal that Brunson is expected to sign will exceed that of Fred Van Vleet. The Toronto Raptors star signed a four-year deal prior to the 2020-21 season worth $85 million. Whoever is able to sign Brunson will have to pay a steep price for him.
The Atlanta Hawks will not be able to afford Jalen Brunson’s price tag.
Unless the Hawks trade one of their higher-paid players, they will not be able to fit Brunson under their cap this season. This is thanks to John Collins getting the bag during the previous offseason, and both Trae Young and Kevin Huerter got their rookie extensions at the same time.
The hypothetical question for the Hawks is, if they really wanted Brunson, how would they fit him under the cap. They could trade Collins but that would leave them really short-handed in the front court. It is the same if they traded Clint Capela. Yes, there are players on the roster who can replace their production but the NBA season is a marathon with many injuries.
There is the potential to trade Bogdan Bogdanovic who has two years left on his deal. However, the problem with this is why would you replace one of the best shooters in the game with someone who has played well but only has had one breakout playoff run?
The best option for the Hawks is trading Danilo Gallinari whose $21.4 million contract is in its final year, with only $5.0 million guaranteed before June 29. If the Hawks can offload this contract then they are players for Brunson, but they need to ask if they want another 6’1″ guard on their roster as it will potentially provide defensive matchup issues.