The Atlanta Hawks have a young and up-and-coming roster with point guard Trae Young as the centerpiece. After a number of disappointing seasons, the Hawks have done a minor rebuild around Young to upgrade the roster this offseason.
There were rumblings of tearing things down in Atlanta this offseason, but if the Hawks wanted to go into a full rebuild, Young would have been the asset to attain maximum draft capital.
Instead, Hawks brass, general manager Onsi Saleh, and President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham decided to further build around Young, an exciting point guard with Steph Curry range and elite ball handling skills that remind you of the AND1 Mixtape Tour.
Young is must-see TV and fills seats at State Farm Arena, bringing in revenue to the Hawks’ franchise, which made the Hawks’ higher-ups reluctant to move on and trade Young.
With Young still in the fold and a revamped roster around him, the Hawks are poised to make a run this season.
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Outside of Young, a few notable additions will help the Hawks make dramatic improvements this year.
Atlanta Hawks’ Key Offseason AdditionsÂ
The Hawks were a part of a three-team trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta from the Boston Celtics, weakening the Celtics’ frontcourt in the process.
Atlanta also added shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Alexander-Walker signed a four-year $62 million deal with the team, making him a long-term piece in Atlanta.
The Hawks did not stop with Alexander-Walker and Porzingis, also adding an elite three-point shooter in Luke Kennard with a one-year deal for $11 million.
The duo of Young and Kennard will be able to stretch the floor, creating spacing in half-court sets. Kennard shot from three-point range at a 43.3% clip last season. Meanwhile, Young shot 41.1% from deep last year.
Key Injuries in the Eastern Conference Will Help The Hawks Rise
The Indiana Pacers had a massive frontcourt overhaul, highlighted by the loss of Myles Turner in free agency to the Milwaukee Bucks, on top of Thomas Bryant signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With Tyrese Haliburton also being out for the year with an Achilles tendon tear, the Eastern Conference champions from last season will go from contenders to potentially struggling to make the Play-In Tournament.
Add in the Boston Celtics being without Jayson Tatum indefinitely, and that shifts the power at the top of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta trading for Porzingis weakens the Celtics’ frontline, making Boston a middle-of-the-pack team in 2025.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland had turf toe surgery, delaying his 2025 debut, and weakening yet another premier team in the East.
With key injuries to players from last year’s top teams in the East, those teams could take steps backward, paving the way for a young Atlanta Hawks team to move up to the top-4 ranks in the conference, putting together a playoff run in the process.