Last Season: 24-58 (15th in Eastern Conference)

Goal for 2018-2019: Top pick and development

Major Offseason Moves:

Hired Lloyd Pierce as new head coach

Drafted Trae Young (Traded Luka Doncic to the Mavericks, received Mavericks top 5 protected 2019 first), Kevin Huerter, and Omari Spellman

Traded Isaia Cordinier (44th pick in the 2016 draft) and a 2020 second round pick to the Nets for Jeremy Lin, a 2025 second round pick and the rights to swap 2023 second round picks

Signed Alex Len to a 2 year 8.5-million-dollar deal

Traded Dennis Schroder to the Thunder and Mike Muscala to the 76ers for Carmelo Anthony, Justin Anderson and the Thunder’s 2022 1st round pick (lottery protected).

Matthew: B-

The loss of Head Coach Mike Budenholzer was a big blow to this Hawks rebuild, as he led the Hawks to four straight playoff berths every season before last season. However that blow was softened by what was an excellent hire in former Philadelphia 76ers Assistant Coach Lloyd Pierce. Pierce was seen as the mastermind behind the 76ers defensive success, having led their young team to the 3rd best defensive rating in the NBA. While this is Pierce’s first Head Coaching opportunity, he has a lot of experience as a former assistant of the 76ers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Cavaliers that will help him acclimatize to this job. Pierce also specializes in player development, which could benefit many young players on the Hawks, including Taurean Prince, John Collins and rookie Trae Young.

I thought that the Hawks made a big mistake passing on Luka Donic, who I considered the second best player in the draft and a generational talent. Trae Young will become a solid NBA player in my opinion, but he also lags behind in several key aspects of the game, most notably defense that he will have to iron out. I do not think Young will be a bust, but I thought he was a bit of a reach at pick 5, especially with players like Mo Bamba still on the board. While the Mavericks top 5 protected pick is a good get for a rebuilding team like the Hawks, I think they will sorely regret passing on a generational talent like Donic in the next few years.

While passing on Donic was a big mistake in my opinion, I really liked the Hawks picks of Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman. Huerter is an excellent shooter and a rock-solid defender, and his skillset should translate well in today’s NBA. Spellman is a stretch 5 that can effectively shoot the 3 ball and came up big for Villanova throughout the March Madness Tournament. Both players should make immediate contributions to this Hawks team and project to be solid role players for many years.

Acquiring Jeremy Lin was another shrewd move by the Hawks. Lin is a starter-level point guard when healthy that will serve as a good leader in a young locker room that they were able to acquire for almost nothing. Alex Len is a solid backup center that rebounds and defends well, and the Hawks got him on a relatively cheap deal; another solid move.

Trading away Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala was a good move for the Hawks rebuild, as they were able to get an additional first round pick from the Thunder and a solid player with room to grow in Justin Anderson.

Overall, I thought the Hawks had a solid offseason, as they picked up some extra picks including two 1st rounders and hired a solid new Head Coach. However, they lose points for their draft day decision to pass on Donic and draft Young, even though their two other picks were shrewd. I give them a B- for their offseason.

Amaan: B

Atlanta’s offseason began by agreeing to let go of their 5 year head coach in Mike Budenholzer for first time head coach Lloyd Pierce. Mike Budenholzer, a premier coach in this league, clearly was not happy with the direction the Hawks were going in so they were forced to go another direction. With that being said, I think Lloyd Pierce is a solid pickup. He’s a young coach specializing in defense who coached the 76ers to the 5th best defense last year (with a 102.0 DRTG).

The Hawks’ continued by drafting Luka Doncic at the 3rd pick, and then flipping him for Trae Young, the 5th pick, as well as a Mavericks top-5 protected 2019 first round pick. If the Hawks truly believed Trae Young to be better than Doncic, or any other prospects available at pick 3, I believe this was the right move. In any other case, it seems silly to pass on a possible generational talent in Doncic, if only for a protected 2019 first, which I see landing late in the lottery. I’m not the biggest fan of the trade, because I see Doncic as the far superior prospect to Trae at this point.

The Hawks’ 2018 draft seemed to have a focus on shooting, which should come as no surprise given that their GM first began in Golden State. Their lottery pick in Trae Young was exceptional for the Oklahoma Sooners, but their over reliance on him to create led to a lack in wins for the team, which was disqualified in the first round of the NCAA tournament despite a solid performance from Young. Both Huerter and Spellman seem to be great additions for the modern NBA; Huerter is a wing with solid defense as well as a great shooting stroke and Spellman is a physical big who can stretch defenses out to the three point line. This draft shows a clear vision of the type of style they hope to emulate, and Hawks fan everywhere should hope they just landed the next Curry/Thompson backcourt.

Their next big move was to trade the rights to Isaia Cordinier, the 44th pick in the 2016 draft, and a 2020 second for Jeremy Lin, a 2025 second, and the right to swap 2023 second round picks. After it became clear Dennis Schroder wanted out, the Hawks were in need of a veteran backup PG. If he’s able to remain healthy, Jeremy Lin should fill this role well and serve as a solid role model to the rookie Trae Young.

Next, they signed Alex Len to a 2 year 8.5 million deal. While I’m not super high on Len as a prospect, this a low-risk medium-reward pickup for the Hawks. Len should compete for a starting spot with Dedmon and Miles Plumlee, after coming off of a 8.5 point and 7.5 rebound season with the Suns. The 2017-2018 season was a career year for Len in terms of efficiency where he set a career high in field-goal percentage (56.6), rebound rate (19.8), assist rate (9.1) and win shares (4.5)

The Hawks last big profile move was shipping off Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala for Carmelo Anthony, a 2022 lottery protect first, and Justin Anderson in a three-team trade with the Thunder and Sixers. While in a vacuum this seems like bad value for the Hawks, because Schroder clearly wanted out from Atlanta, it came out as a solid trade in which they were able to acquire a 2022 lottery protected first rounder as well as Justin Anderson, a 25 year old with some potential. The Hawks will soon buyout Anthony, so this trade was essentially a move to continue their rebuild.

The Hawks receive a B for their offseason. While I didn't love their draft day decision to pick Young, the rest of their offseason was solid and they came away from it with two additional first round pick, as well as a solid head coach. The 2018-2019 season should be another season of tanking, as the Hawks made very few moves to promote winning next season. Their next season should be focused on developing young talent, and securing a top pick, over winning. In order to raise this grade, the Hawks should focus on trading Dewayne Dedmon for picks and a salary dump which would open up playing time for their young players and build up assets.

(Photo Credit: NBA.com)