This offseason has not gone exactly as planned for the Atlanta Hawks. After taking the league by storm with their Spurs-esque playing style they were knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, only to be faced with an offseason of uncertainty. Two members of their uber-cohesive starting five were set to become free agents and it was unclear whether or not they would have enough money to bring the band back together for another run at the NBA Finals.

Their worst fears were avoided when Paul Millsap spurned the Orlando Magic to bring his talents back to Atlanta, but it was not all unicorns and roses. Starting wing DeMarre Carroll headed north to join the Toronto Raptors leaving the Hawks without one of the key pieces that helped ignite their breakthrough season.

It is hard to blame Carroll for leaving town. He entered free agency in the prime of his career and he was at his peak value. Four years and $60 million is tough to pass up even for another shot at winning a title. He earned that large payday through hard work and he should be applauded for the impact he had on the Hawks over the last two seasons.

Should the Hawks be blamed for failing to pony up enough money to keep him in Georgia? That is debatable, but assuming it was a choice between Carroll and Millsap I would say they made the right choice.

Carroll was thought of as a bit player when his Hawks career began, but as he developed he turned into an essential role player. Generally regarded as a true “three and D” player, Carroll reached career highs during Atlanta’s sixty win season, scoring 12.6 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range on 4.5 attempts per game.

He fit in perfectly with Mike Budenholzer’s three-point heavy attack, frequently spotting up in the corner where he shot a sizzling 44.4 percent. Carroll’s presence on the court raised Atlanta’s offensive rating from 107.6 to 110 and he kept them afloat in the postseason when others were struggling offensively. Without Carroll’s 14.6 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting the Hawks may not have made it past Brooklyn and Washington.

By some metrics it would appear that Carroll’s defensive contributions were slightly overstated. Even I was shocked at how poor some of his advanced metrics were. According to ESPN his defensive real plus/minus was ranked 38th among small forwards at -0.38. Their opponent’s offensive rating also increased from 101.5 to 104.5.

Even if his defense is not quite what his reputation would suggest, he still took pressure off of Kyle Korver and his size allowed him to match up with the Kawhi Leonard’s and Paul George’s of the NBA universe. No players left on the roster quite match his unique skillset leaving a large hole in their lineup. The Hawks will undoubtedly miss his toughness and his ability to stretch the floor.

Carroll is gone and there is no changing that. The Hawks have to move forward even if their options to replace Carroll are less than stellar. Will it be Thabo Sefolosha, Tim Hardaway, Jr., or perhaps even Kent Bazemore?

Are either of those three capable of filling the DeMarre Carroll sized void in the starting five, or should the Hawks explore the trade market for reinforcements? Mike Budenholzer has some thinking to do.