The Atlanta Hawks had a rollercoaster of a season, but miraculously, new GM Onsi Saleh managed to both improve the team and create financial flexibility. Chief among the moves made by the first-year GM was the infamous Trae Young trade, in which Atlanta dumped the second-greatest player in franchise history for CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert, and no picks.
The move was controversial, to say the least. NBA fans far and wide dunked on the Hawks, while analysts questioned whether it was worth trading such a talented player for such a meager return.
One source nobody consulted, however, was the players across the league. The Athletic conducted an end-of-season player poll, where the players indicated they believed in Atlanta’s moves more than the public did.Â
Not only did the players vote Trae Young as the second-most overrated player in the league, but they also gave Jalen Johnson the opposite nod as the NBA’s most underrated member. The league couldn’t have made a clearer statement: Jalen Johnson is the future, while Trae Young is a player worth moving on from
Hawks are in the perfect position to assemble a contender thanks to Onsi
Coming off an extraordinarily hot end to the season, where Atlanta jumped from the lottery to the sixth seed, it’s important to remember that the Hawks are still not quite complete as a team. Johnson underwhelmed in the playoffs after his relatively weak halfcourt offensive creation was exposed, and CJ McCollum wasn’t enough offensively to lift the team past a strong Knicks squad.
But beneath these two stars lie a perfect supporting cast, financial flexibility, and two 2026 first round picks to supplement the existing team. Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who was ranked the 7th-most underrated player himself) are a fantastic two-way guard pair, while Onyeka Okongwu is perhaps the most versatile and underrated big man in the league.
The Hawks have a few areas to address this offseason. They need a long-term replacement for McCollum, a backup center to bolster the rotation, and a couple more playoff-caliber bench players.
Thankfully for Atlanta, Onsi Saleh has secured the path to making this team complete. Assuming the team renounces the cap holds assigned to McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga before free agency begins, the Hawks will enter the offseason with a whopping $32.9 million to spend (and 2 first round picks). This is certainly enough to address Atlanta’s needs as the team enters year two of the Jalen Johnson era.
Add us as a preferred source on Google