2020 NBA Offseason Preview: Atlanta Hawks
Hoops Rumors is previewing the 2020 offseason for all 30 NBA teams. We’re looking at the key questions facing each club, as well as the roster decisions they’ll have to make this fall. Today, we’re focusing on the Atlanta Hawks.
Salary Cap Outlook
With so much uncertainty surrounding the 2020/21 salary cap, it’s impossible to say exactly how much space the Hawks will have. But they currently project to have more flexibility than virtually any other team in the NBA.
Even if the cap remains the same as it was in ’19/20, Atlanta could comfortably get to $43MM+ in room, depending on where the team’s lottery pick lands. Once they use up all that space, the Hawks will have the room exception available — it’d be worth $4.77MM if the cap doesn’t increase.
Our full salary cap preview for the Hawks can be found right here.
Roster Decisions To Watch
Options:
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts:
- Brandon Goodwin ($1,701,593)
- Note: Partially guaranteed for $100K.
Two-Way Contracts:
- Charlie Brown Jr. (expiring)
Free Agents:
- Jeff Teague (Bird)
- Treveon Graham (Early Bird)
- Vince Carter (Retiring)
- DeAndre’ Bembry (RFA; Bird)
- Skal Labissiere (RFA; Bird)
- Damian Jones (RFA; Bird)
2020 Draft Assets
First Round:
- No. 4 overall pick (pending lottery results)
The Hawks have the fourth-best lottery odds, but their most likely pick is No. 6 (25.7%). They have a 12.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 48.1% chance at a top-four selection, with No. 5 (7.2%), No. 7 (16.8%), and No. 8 (2.2%) also in play.
Second Round:
- No. 50 overall pick
The Hawks will receive the more favorable of the Heat’s and Rockets’ second-round picks. That’ll be Miami’s second-rounder, which falls at No. 50 — Houston’s will land in the No. 51-53 range.
Three Key Offseason Questions
1. How will the Hawks use their cap room?
Under general manager Travis Schlenk, the Hawks haven’t been major players in free agency, preferring to hang back and wait for the potential bargains that are available a few days after the league year opens. Atlanta has generally had no shortage of cap space in those years, but has preferred to use it to absorb unwanted contracts to gain extra draft picks.
With the Hawks looking to soon make the transition from rebuilding team to perennial playoff threat, it would seem to be a prime time to adjust their free agency philosophy. With so much space available this fall, Atlanta could theoretically make a major splash, adding a veteran or two who could help push the team’s young core over the top.
While that plan may sound good to team ownership, a couple of practical factors could complicate matters. For one, this year’s free agent class isn’t exactly loaded with stars for the Hawks to target. None of the players at the top of our free agent power rankings are really logical options for Atlanta.
Anthony Davis isn’t leaving L.A.; the Pelicans almost certainly aren’t letting Brandon Ingram get away; Montrezl Harrell doesn’t make sense for a team that just acquired Clint Capela; and Fred VanVleet probably isn’t an ideal partner for Trae Young in what would be a very undersized backcourt. There are players further down that list that could appeal to the Hawks, but investing big long-term money in any of them would be risky.
On top of that, this offseason sets up perfectly for Atlanta to stick with its formula of using cap room to accommodate salary dumps and collect assets. After all, with team owners across the league expected to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there may be several teams who are looking to cut costs and are willing to part with draft picks to do so.
The Hawks won’t be in asset-gathering mode forever, and they can afford to be a little more aggressive on the free agent market in 2020. But being one of the only teams with maximum-salary cap room doesn’t mean they’ll come out of the offseason with a max-caliber player.
2. Is it time to consolidate assets in a trade?
If the Hawks can’t land a star on the free agent market, could they do so in a trade? They have no shortage of trade chips available if they want to try to make a move, including an extra 2022 first-round pick and a handful of future second-rounders.
Young looks like an obvious keeper, but there’s no one else on the Hawks’ roster that is 100% assured of a long-term stay in Atlanta — the team would surely consider moving the likes of De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and/or Kevin Huerter if the price is right, and even John Collins was mentioned in trade rumors earlier this year.
Given Young’s ability on offense and lack thereof on defense, the most logical fit for the Hawks would be a two-way wing who can lock down opposing scorers and doesn’t necessarily need to dominate the ball.
Those players aren’t easy to find though, and the most frequent subjects of trade speculation these days don’t quite fit the bill — Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine, for instance, aren’t strong enough defenders to pair with Young. Stars who might’ve made sense for the Hawks in past years when they were unhappy with their situations – such as Jimmy Butler or Paul George – are now in their preferred destinations and likely won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Hawks have done business with the Nets in recent years, and if Brooklyn makes Caris LeVert available this offseason in its search for a third star, that’d be an opportunity worth exploring. Otherwise, it’s hard to find many ideal fits on the trade market if the Hawks want to cash in some chips for an impact wing.
3. Will the Hawks extend John Collins this fall?
Currently, Capela is the only player on the Hawks’ roster who is owed more than $15MM in any future season. He’s also the one who has a fully guaranteed salary beyond 2021, with the exception of the players on their rookie contracts.
However, Atlanta will have to start making major financial decisions on its young talent as early as this offseason, when Collins becomes eligible for his rookie scale extension. There are compelling reasons for the Hawks to wait on a new deal for Collins and equally compelling reasons for the team to get something done this fall.
Waiting until 2021 to make a decision on Collins would give the Hawks a chance to evaluate how their Collins/Capela frontcourt actually looks on the court, since the two big men have yet to play a game together.
Additionally, since Collins has said multiple times in recent months that he feels as if he’s worthy of a maximum-salary contract, it might make more sense to have him fully earn that max deal with a strong contract year rather than handing it to him after a season that started with a 25-game suspension for a drug violation.
Waiting for Collins to reach restricted free agency would also significantly increase the Hawks’ flexibility in 2021. Rather than entering that offseason with a max salary for Collins (likely in the $28-30MM range) already on the books, the team would just have to carry his $12.4MM cap hold — that would create a ton of extra cap flexibility for the Hawks before they go over the cap to re-sign him.
On the other hand, the fact that Collins has so frequently talked about the possibility of an extension suggests it’s important to him to get something finalized sooner rather than later for the sake of security, and Atlanta may not want to risk alienating one of its potential cornerstones.
A handful of factors – that 25-game suspension, a disappointing season for the Hawks, and the NBA’s current financial outlook – may also give the club some leverage to negotiate something below the max for Collins. If he’s open to that possibility, it could save the team some money in the long run. The Celtics and Pacers, for instance, were wise to complete extensions with Jaylen Brown and Domantas Sabonis last fall, since they would’ve been candidates for more lucrative offer sheets this offseason.
Whichever path the Hawks take, it won’t necessarily represent their final decision on whether Collins is a long-term building block for the franchise. Trading him in a year or two will still be possible if he signs an extension, and locking him up in 2021 shouldn’t be a problem even if the two sides don’t agree to an extension this year.
Information from Basketball Insiders and ESPN was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pacers Notes: McMillan, Warren, Bitadze
During a conversation about the Pacers on an episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy and Zach Lowe said they’ve both heard chatter about the possibility that Nate McMillan could be on the hot seat in Indiana (hat tip to Alex Golden of PacersTalk.net).
“I had two people come up to me since I’ve been here (in Orlando) and say, ‘Nate McMillan’s in trouble,'” Van Gundy said.
“It’s been the hottest rumor all season,” Lowe replied. “… What you’ve heard in Orlando’s been going around all season.”
Indiana hasn’t won a playoff series under McMillan, and there has been some chatter about a need to modernize the team’s offense, which ranks last this season in three-point attempts per game (27.7). Still, the two ESPN analysts pointed out that the Pacers have exceeded expectations in recent years, especially given the injuries they’ve had to deal with. And Lowe cautioned that there has been no confirmation the Pacers are seriously considering a change.
“Let me be clear: It’s just a rumor,” Lowe said. “I don’t know if it’s true. When you talk to people around the Pacers, they say, ‘It’s not true’ or ‘Where you’d hear that from?’ … I think Nate’s earned the benefit of the doubt.”
Let’s round up a few more Pacers-related items…
- In addition to helping the Pacers pick up wins during this summer’s restart, T.J. Warren‘s huge games in Orlando are showing that he’s a crucial part of the team’s future, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who notes that the 26-year-old’s prime years line up well with the rest of Indiana’s core.
- Pacers rookie Goga Bitadze, who returned to action this week, acknowledged today that his left knee has been an issue almost all season (Twitter link via J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star). “(After the hiatus), it hurt me a lot more,” Bitadze said. “I basically couldn’t run… It’s hard for me to get back ready to play.” However, after undergoing an MRI, the big man was told by team doctors that the soreness isn’t a serious issue, so it sounds like he probably won’t need offseason surgery, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
- In case you missed it on Thursday, we passed along word that ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan walked back her claim that Larry Bird left his job as president of basketball operations in Indiana because he was frustrated by the team’s reluctance to spend.
Southeast Notes: Butler, Isaac, Hawks, Heat
Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, who continues to battle a right foot injury, has been ruled out for Saturday’s matchup with Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the third consecutive game that Butler has missed.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Thursday that Butler underwent both an MRI and an X-ray on the foot, which revealed no structural damage, per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The hope for now is that rest is the best treatment for the All-Star wing.
“Jimmy had his final scan yesterday. And we understand what he’s dealing with,” agent Bernie Lee told The Herald. “And he’s working his butt off to get back on the floor ASAP and to be ready for the playoffs.”
The postseason isn’t scheduled to begin until August 17, so Butler has another 10 days to work his way back from the injury, which is mostly affecting his right ankle, according to Jackson and Chiang.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In the wake of Jonathan Isaac‘s season-ending ACL tear, Josh Robbins and John Hollinger of The Athletic examine how the injury will affect Isaac and the Magic going forward. Hollinger believes Isaac’s long-term All-Star potential still exists, but says the young forward now has a “longer, less certain pathway” to reaching that ceiling.
- After a series of conversations with sources and draft experts, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic takes a shot at filling out the top of the Hawks‘ draft board. Kirschner has Anthony Edwards at No. 1, followed by Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Devin Vassell, Killian Hayes, and Onyeka Okongwu.
- Limits on team traveling parties mean that the Heat don’t have all their coaches and top executives with them at Walt Disney World, but head coach Erik Spoelstra said this week that he’s getting “daily notes” from president Pat Riley and other members of the organization, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel details.
Zion Williamson To Sit Out Friday’s Game
Rookie forward Zion Williamson won’t play for the Pelicans on Friday night against Washington, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the news.
The Pelicans have been exercising caution this summer with Williamson, who left the Walt Disney World campus in July and has been seeing his minutes gradually increase over the last week. Friday’s game is the second half of a back-to-back set, after Zion logged 22 minutes on Thursday vs. Sacramento.
While it’s not a major surprise that New Orleans is playing it safe with its most valuable long-term building block, Friday’s game is essentially a must-win if the Pelicans want to keep pace in the race for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. They’re currently two games behind Portland for the No. 9 seed and 2.5 games back of the eighth-seeded Grizzlies, with just four to play.
Of course, with or without Williamson in the lineup, the Pelicans will be favored over the Wizards, who are 0-4 during the restart and will be the first of the 22 teams in Orlando eliminated from postseason contention if they lose tonight. And while the sample size is small, it’s worth noting that the Pelicans have been a much better team through the four seeding games with Zion off the court (+5.2 net rating) than on it (-22.8).
After tonight, the Pelicans will have crucial matchups on tap with the Spurs (Sunday) and Kings (Tuesday) before finishing their summer slate next Thursday vs. Orlando. It may take a 4-0 record down the stretch for New Orleans to keep its season alive and qualify for a play-in tournament.
Facundo Campazzo Increasingly Likely To Seek NBA Deal
The possibility that Argentine guard Facundo Campazzo will make the move to the NBA this offseason has “never looked more likely,” league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Campazzo remains under contract with Real Madrid, but the Spanish club has known for a few months that the 29-year-old intends to seek an NBA deal, Stein reports. According to Stein (Twitter link), Campazzo’s deal with Real Madrid includes a substantial buyout, but an NBA team can pay up to $725K of that buyout, and the veteran point guard plans to forego $1.2 million Euros between now and October to help facilitate the move.
A two-time EuroLeague champion and three-time Spanish League champ, Campazzo has a decorated international résumé that also includes four Argentine League championships, a EuroCup Defensive Player of the Year award, and a silver medal in the 2019 World Cup.
In 28 EuroLeague games in 2019/20, Campazzo averaged 9.9 PPG and 7.1 APG (second behind Nick Calathes‘ 9.1). His three-point percentage slipped to 31.0% but he’s typically a reliable outside shooter, knocking down 37.5% of his tries from beyond the arc over the previous two EuroLeague seasons.
An April report indicated that the Spurs and Mavericks are among the NBA teams that have interest in Campazzo, though his agent later suggested that they’re hardly the only ones.
“In the past two years, during the season, NBA scouts have spoken to me a thousand times,” agent Claduio Villanueva said at the time. “… If the NBA does not keep an eye on one of the best, it would be crazy. But there is nothing concrete, there is nothing spoken.”
Raptors’ McCaw Leaving Campus To Treat Knee Issue
Raptors guard Patrick McCaw is leaving the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World in order to seek treatment for a reoccurrence of a benign mass on the back of his left knee, the club announced today in a press release.
According to the Raptors’ announcement, McCaw will head to New York to seek an opinion from Dr. Riley Williams, who saw the 24-year-old for the same issue back in November. At that time, McCaw had the benign mass removed and was sidelined for over a month.
There’s no timetable for McCaw’s return at this point. If he does re-enter the NBA’s campus, he’ll have to quarantine for at least four days before rejoining the Raptors. However, Toronto noted in its press release that its roster is now down to 16 players, which perhaps suggests that the team doesn’t expect the three-time champion to play again this season.
McCaw, 24, signed with the Raptors partway through the 2018/19 season after winning a pair of titles with the Warriors. His playing time has fluctuated since he arrived in Toronto, but he frequently saw regular minutes in ’19/20, especially when the team was shorthanded due to other players’ injuries.
In 37 games (24.5 MPG) this season, McCaw averaged 4.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG on .414/.324/.722 shooting, while providing solid perimeter defense.
McCaw’s absence shouldn’t have a major impact on the Raptors’ rotation. Rookie guard Terence Davis will continue to play regular minutes off the bench, with wing Matt Thomas perhaps seeing a little more playing time as well.
NBA Explores Idea Of Bottom Eight Teams Conducting OTAs At Disney Campus
A report earlier this week suggested that the idea of creating a second “bubble” this summer for the NBA’s bottom eight clubs to conduct organized team activities appeared to be losing steam.
However, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, league officials made it clear in a Wednesday conference call that they’re still trying to figure out as solution that will allow those teams to stay active. One idea that has been discussed, sources tell Amick, is bringing those bottom eight teams to the NBA’s first bubble at Walt Disney World.
As Amick explains, we’re just over a week away from six of the 22 teams participating in the Orlando restart being eliminated, which would open up more space at the Disney hotels and basketball courts. Two weeks later, after the first round of the playoffs ends, eight more clubs will be eliminated, leaving just eight of the original 22 on campus.
That could create an opportunity for the NBA to invite the bottom eight teams – the Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Hawks, Knicks, Pistons, Bulls, and Hornets – into its “bubble.” Presumably, players, coaches, and staffers would quarantine in Disney hotels for several days before being cleared to participate in group workouts, practices, and perhaps even inter-squad scrimmages.
Amick cautions that this idea is just being considered for now, with nothing decided as of yet. A number of the hotel rooms being vacated by teams by the end of the first round of the postseason are expected to be filled by family members of players on the remaining clubs, who will be permitted to bring guests onto the campus around the end of August. So the NBA would have logistical challenges to overcome to bring such a plan together.
It also seems unlikely that all of those bottom eight teams would be enthusiastic about traveling to Orlando, quarantining, and spending a period of time at the Disney campus. The Warriors are known to prefer the idea of group workouts in their own market, and the Knicks have been averse to the idea of a second bubble because they have a number of free agents on their roster who likely wouldn’t participate (any organized team activities the NBA approves are expected to be voluntary, not mandatory).
Still, it’s worth noting that one of the NBPA’s primary concerns about OTAs for the non-Orlando teams is a belief that it’d be difficult to replicate the Disney safety protocols at another location. Bringing those teams onto the Disney campus would be the simplest way to ensure that those players are subject to the same safety protocols, so the union would have to consider such a plan. We’ll see if anything comes of it.
Latest On Clippers’ Montrezl Harrell
Clippers center Montrezl Harrell has been away from the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World for approximately three weeks, attending to his family and grieving following the recent death of his grandmother. However, he appears to be getting close to a return.
[RELATED: Clippers Tell Montrezl Harrell To Take Time To Grieve]
During a Thursday night appearance on TNT, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link) reported that Harrell’s grandmother will be laid to rest this Saturday, with the Clippers center expected to travel to Orlando soon after that.
Sources tell Haynes that Harrell has been getting tested daily for the coronavirus and has continued to receive negative results. That means that when he does return to the NBA’s campus, he should only be subject to a four-day quarantine period. That would put the Sixth Man of the Year candidate on track to rejoin the team in time for the start of the playoffs on August 17, though he’ll probably need a couple practices to get back up to speed before being activated.
The Clippers have been somewhat shorthanded since the seeding games began. Lou Williams missed the first two contests due to his extended quarantine period, Patrick Beverley left the third game with a calf injury and remains sidelined, and Harrell, of course, hasn’t played at all this summer.
Head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday that he’d love to get back the roster to full strength at some point in the next week or two, but added that he’ll continue to make the most of what he has available, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“It would be nice to have a stretch where our whole team was available, practicing and playing,” Rivers said. “But we haven’t had that all year. It’s been amazing. We just got to keep rolling.”
Jazz Stars Sitting Out Friday’s Game With Spurs
The Jazz will play the Spurs on Friday but they will look like a totally different team. They’ll go without all of their star players due to injury or, in one case, rest, according to an ESPN report.
The starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell (left peroneal strain) and Mike Conley (right knee soreness) will sit out, as will center Rudy Gobert. Coach Quin Snyder is resting his defensive stalwart in the first game of a back-to-back. Utah plays Denver on Saturday.
Another key player, forward Royce O’Neale (right calf soreness), is also taking the night off, as well as guard Nigel Williams-Goss (left ankle sprain).
None of the injuries appear to be long-term, so it’s quite possible most or all of those players could return for the Denver game. The Nuggets have been playing shorthanded during the restart and are missing four starters — Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton and Paul Millsap — in their game against Portland on Thursday.
Utah is trying to hold onto the fourth seed in the Western Conference and is also within striking distance of the third-place Nuggets.
Mo Bamba Had COVID-19, Led To Conditioning Issues
Magic center Mohamed Bamba contracted COVID-19 in June, which led to subsequent conditioning issues and a large reduction in playing time during the restart, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
Bamba’s demotion to third-string center behind Nikola Vucevic and Khem Birch was one of the mysteries of the restart. The revelation by the No. 6 overall pick of the 2018 draft of his positive coronavirus test earlier this summer shed more light on the situation.
The illness led to fatigue and muscle soreness and temporarily removed Bamba’s senses of smell and taste, according to Robbins. His lack of playing time — he’s only made brief appearances in two of Orlando’s four seeding games — led to his decision to make his diagnosis public. He saw action in 60 games this season prior to the suspension of play.
“Part of me is reading the temperature of the room and just knowing that there are definitely going to be questions, and sometimes you’ve just got to address them with honesty,” Bamba said. “In this case, I think it’s best for them to have that context and have that understanding of what, exactly, is going on. I want people to know that I’m still working as hard as ever, if not even harder, and I’ll get through this.”
Due to his illness, Bamba was unable to go through individual workouts at the Magic’s practice facility prior to team’s arrival on the Disney campus. He also had a pair of false positive tests once he was on the campus, forcing him to go into additional quarantine and causing him to miss three days of practice.
Subsequently, he’s been relegated to spot duty due to conditioning issues. Bamba had been bulking up before the diagnosis, putting on 20 pounds. He’s had trouble carrying that extra weight without steady exercise.
He feels he’s ready to contribute if called upon.
“I was frustrated because I really felt ready to contribute like I was earlier in the year,” Bamba said. “But the medical staff is in the perfect place to protect me, so I have to follow their guidelines. It really kills me to be sitting there, but at the same time, it’s also really motivating. When you’re sitting out, you can see the game from different angles, different sights and sounds. Especially in the bubble, with no fans, you can really lock in on the game. But I know I have to stay focused, so whenever I’m called upon, I’m ready.”