The Atlanta Hawks have been developing a young core since they drafted John Collins. The Hawks’ longest-tenured player is constantly surrounded by trade talks but recently the Hawks have been urged to commit to their $125.0 million star.
They have two All-Stars in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray as well as one of the best rim protectors in the league in Clint Capela. De’Andre Hunter rounds out the starting five as a multi-talented wing.
On top of that, they have the development and potential of Onyeka Okongwu, the shooting prowess of Bogdan Bogdanovic and the draft picks from the past two seasons. It is really easy to get excited about this team, and their potential as most of these players are contracted for the next two or three seasons as a minimum.
So how can Bleacher Report land the Atlanta Hawks in the middle of the pack?
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report rates the Hawks as being in a better position than the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors. They also rate them just behind the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat. While this is a good spot for the team after where they were five years ago, it is not where they want to be.
The thing is, the Hawks’ core is still going to be in their prime whereas the Philadelphia 76ers, who are ranked ninth over the next three seasons are going to be reliant more on Joel Embiid as James Harden’s star continues to fade.
The LA Clippers are ranked seventh and while they still have the talents of the 31-year-old Kawhi Leonard and the 32-year-old Paul George. However, their powers will start to decline over the next three years when the Hawks’ core is just going to get better. This is the same story with the Phoenix Suns whose general, Chris Paul will be 40 at the end of three seasons.
I would not be surprised to see the Hawks being in the top ten within the next two seasons rather than mid-pack. If they can do this then the last three offseasons will become a blueprint for other teams to use for a rebuild.