With every passing day, it looks more realistic that Jonathan Kuminga - Atlanta's unrestricted free agent forward - will end up landing elsewhere.
That's fine. Atlanta's done more than enough to reshape their forward room in the event he departs from the organization. It was the expectation entering the summer. While whatever comes as a sign-and-trade involving Kuminga could be the final "addition" of the offseason, the Hawks technically aren't out of the race for Peyton Watson.
Now, if it was a super realistic option, it likely would've been done by now - or at least picked up some steam. Atlanta can take their time with this one. Or not. They're in an advantageous position.
Hawks can remain interested in Watson without overdoing it
Interest isn't always met with significant action.
While at times (and more often than not, really), Atlanta has operated quickly after identifying a prime offseason target, that won't always be the case. Unpredictability goes a long way.
When it was first revealed that Atlanta was in an active pursuit of Watson, fans would've been justified in believing that it was all but a done deal. Onsi Saleh's track record would suggest that.
The reason it's now being viewed as more exploratory than anything, however, is that Atlanta now has a very crowded forward room after a few key summer additions.
There's no such thing as having too many quality wings, especially in today's NBA, but players who deserve nightly playing-time should, well, receive nightly playing-time.
They certainly wouldn't turn down an opportunity to acquire Watson, though, even this late into the offseason. His year-by-year improvements speak for themselves.
This should be Atlanta's plan. Stay lurking, take advantage of any turmoil that comes out of his negotiations with Denver. If he re-signs on a long-term deal, or accepts the qualifying offer, so be it. They're already set.
Not giving him a massive payday could age well, too
His camp doesn't appear to be budging on their initial asking price.
Plus, if he does end up departing via sign-and-trade, his new deal will have to be, at minimum, three years. At the annual value he's been looking for all this time. Not necessarily ideal.
Watson is an impressive young player on an undeniable trajectory, no doubt, but what reason would Atlanta have to risk overpaying while they're more than on the right track?
Atlanta needs to meet the current trend surrounding Watson, and like all of his other interested suitors - just wait.
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