The Atlanta Hawks have had an eventful offseason, as the franchise secured Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and traded away guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.
By moving Murray, the Hawks were able to recoup some draft capital, a key development since they sent out draft picks to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Murray when they originally acquired him. While the Hawks still don’t own some of their picks – San Antonio does – they are in a situation where they can rebuild if they’d like to.
However, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the trade market for guard Trae Young has seemingly shifted in recent months, at least when it comes to the Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. On the other hand, big man Clint Capela reportedly is on the trade block as he enters the final season of his contract.
“With Trae Young still on board, the Hawks can develop their youth while treading water around .500,” Lowe wrote. “And yet now that they’ve walked that path, the end result feels uncertain and perhaps unsatisfying. Getting their picks back by trading Young to San Antonio would have made for a clean teardown ahead of the 2025 and 2026 drafts. The Spurs’ and Lakers’ interest in Young has cooled in recent months, sources said, but such doors never close shut.”
The Hawks could always look to move Young down the line since he is under contract for the 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 season with a player option for the 2026-27 campaign. If the Hawks do keep Young, it may allow them to compete for a play-in tournament or playoff spot.
That could be important to the franchise since it doesn’t have control over some of its own draft picks anyway due to the original Murray trade. Being able to develop young players like Risacher while competing for a playoff spot could be an ideal middle ground for the Hawks since they still have draft assets from the trade with New Orleans.
As for Capela, he could be on the move, potentially helping the Hawks get even younger in their rotation. Lowe laid out a possible rotation that Atlanta could play in the 2024-25 season.
“As is, Young at 25 could be the oldest member of a potential starting five featuring Dyson Daniels, Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu,” Lowe wrote. “Johnson is 22 with All-Star potential. He and Risacher could develop into an explosive, complementary pairing at forward. Young could lead a fun, up-tempo team that might be ready to peak by the middle of his prime.
“Don’t put that starting five in pen. Clint Capela is still here, in the final year of his contract — and on the trade market, sources said. De’Andre Hunter surely wants to start. Daniels’ shaky shooting could make him wonky fit in an off-ball role next to Young. That said, Daniels is a natural in a fast-paced system, and his secondary playmaking — and that of Johnson — could get Young easier looks as Atlanta works to diversify its offense. Daniels is an elite defender, and Atlanta needs those around Young.
“Bogdan Bogdanovic could start, but he can prop up the offense next to Kobe Bufkin while Young rests — a chronic weak spot until Atlanta acquired Murray. The Hawks are optimistic Mouhamed Gueye — their second-round pick in 2023 — is ready to claim a rotation spot, sources said. Gueye and Vit Krejci could round out a decent bench rotation.”
While the Hawks may not be in a position to compete for an NBA title, they have been a playoff team in three of the last four seasons, including two seasons before they dealt for Murray.
The roster is much different from when Atlanta made the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 campaign, but Young has proven that he can be the best player on a team that makes a deep playoff run.
Ultimately, the Hawks may be hoping that Risacher can develop into a running mate for Young and Johnson for years to come. If not, they still have the flexibility to move on from their star point guard to truly tear down the roster.
Still, that may not make sense in the short-term future unless the Hawks can get their picks back from San Antonio in a Young trade.
Atlanta will certainly be an interesting team to watch the rest of the offseason and at the trade deadline in the 2024-25 campaign.
