As soon as the news broke that LeBron was headed to the Philadelphia 76ers as his 'final decision', the next most significant news lay on the horizon - Stephen Curry may eventually be on his way out after LeBron didn't choose the Bay Area as his home for the next two seasons.
The Warriors were rumored to have sought out a trade with either the Dallas Mavericks or the Washington Wizards for Kyrie Irving or Anthony Davis, respectively, in order to pair the free agent James with one of his favorite former teammates in Golden State.
Without either move coming into fruition, the Dubs must now face a brutal reality check: their window isn't closing - it got slammed shut.
Thankfully for the Hawks, they have a compelling argument for the latest rumored free agent on the market from the Bay Area. Could we see another Western Conference All-Star take his talents to the East?
Atlanta's first ace up the sleeve: second iteration of the superpick
First and foremost, the Hawks have access to one of the most intriguing assets in the league this upcoming draft - the worst swap of the Pelicans' and Bucks' first-round pick.
Ordinarily, a lesser-swapped pick would not hold much value, but two extenuating circumstances lead significant credence to the idea that this pick could easily move the needle for the Hawks to persuade the Warriors to entertain their offer.
Not only is the 2027 NBA Draft significantly underrated amongst fans - possessing more than a handful of potential future All-Star level players - but the Bucks and Pelicans are both near rock-bottom in projected standings.
While the Bucks just blew the entire system up with the long-awaited Giannis Antetokounmpo deal to the Miami Heat, the Pelicans have remained at a standstill, refusing to make any significant move after a mere 26-win season that saw them finish near the bottom of a loaded Western Conference that hasn't gotten much weaker.
Atlanta's second boon: significant expiring contracts
The Hawks are also one of the only teams in the league that could facilitate a deal centered around both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, if need be.
Assuming Kuminga is brought back under his qualifying offer (due to the standstill Kuminga and the Hawks are currently in the midst of), between the one-year expiring deals of Kuminga, McCollum, Dort and Landale paired with the two-year expirations of Corey Kispert and Buddy Hield, the Hawks have nearly $100M in soon-to-be expiring cap space.
Pair the expiring cap with the superpick and other lesser draft capital and/or young talent such as Asa Newell or Zuby Ejiofor, and you have an enticing offer for the Dubs to consider.
Atlanta's elite defense would cushion Steph's responsibilities
While it wouldn't move the needle for the Warriors' front office, it would be ignorant to assume that Steph Curry wouldn't play a part in deciding his next destination.
After all that Steph has given the Warriors during his legendary tenure with the squad, it almost feels like a given that Kerr and his partners in the front office would allow Curry to hand-pick his destination to get one final shot at a ring.
While the Hawks don't have the elite championship (or at least, near-championship) pedigree that other suitors such as the Spurs and Celtics offer, they do possess an aspect neither aforementioned squad does: a trio (or potentially more) elite perimeter defenders to hide Curry on defense.
Between Lu Dort, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (and potentially Kingston Flemings sooner rather than later), Curry could rest assured he would have far more support on the defensive perimeter than he did in Golden State.
It may not be the most likely outcome on the market at the moment, but don't rule it out, Hawks fans - a Curry union with Atlanta could be a dark horse move to immediately propel Atlanta into title contention.
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