Although Atlanta is one of the NBA’s largest markets, the Hawks haven’t typically been the sort of franchise stars flock to, like those based in Los Angles, New York, and Miami. Team owner Tony Ressler is hoping to change that, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic writes.
Since assuming control of the team, Ressler has renovated State Farm Arena, built a state-of-the-art practice facility, purchased a G League franchise, and – most recently – invested huge money in several important members of the team that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this year.
Trae Young, John Collins, Clint Capela, and Kevin Huerter have all received lucrative long-term deals in the last three months, and Ressler says he’ll have no issue with paying the luxury tax going forward as long as Atlanta continues to contend.
“How could we not be a true free agent destination?” Ressler rhetorically asked Kirschner. “We think, I would argue, our facilities are as good as any, our city is as good as any, our roster is as good as any, our investment, our dollars, our commitment to spend is as good as any. It makes no sense that historically this team has not been a top-tier free agent destination. And I think you have to earn that, and make clear that it’s a franchise committed to winning in every sense of the way.
“… One of the true objectives or genuine objectives of this ownership is to make sure that we win on a tie for great players, if we have to. That we attract great players, that we keep great players, and that players, frankly, look at Atlanta as a really great place to play. I think that takes a lot of work. Hopefully we’re pretty close.”
The Hawks operated as an over-the-cap team this offseason, but had significant cap space available for a few summers before that. In most cases, Atlanta opted to use that space to accommodate salary dumps and accumulate assets, but the club forayed into free agency in 2020, signing veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Rajon Rondo. Those players aren’t superstars, but Gallinari and Bogdanovic especially were a couple of the top available players on the open market.
The Hawks don’t project to have cap space again anytime soon, but if Ressler’s plan is successful, a higher caliber of player may be interested in joining the team on mid-level or minimum-salary money. That could be a factor in helping to push Atlanta over the top, though Ressler told Kirschner he believes that – even without further upgrades – the current roster is capable of winning a title.
“We expect to be contenders, man,” Ressler said. “We expect to be really good. We hope to be really good, and we’re going to see how it plays out.”
One would hope that every owner wants to be a “top-tier free agent destination”.
Ressler has a beautiful actress wife. I’d say Yes if his wife becomes Hawks GM.
Attractive
I would rather my team build itself into a winner with its own homegrown players instead of just patching together an all star team from other teams just because you are in a good location and have a lot of buzz (no offense Hornets fans).
It’s the main reason I view the Brooklyn Nets as the worst franchise in the league. They slowly built a pretty strong team while suffering from the Garnett trade fallout. Then once that was over, they dumped everyone and replaced them with disgruntled All Stars from other teams.
I loved the Kenny Atkinson Nets..I was really disappointed I couldn’t see more of that when they blew that team up but I understand why.
@jonl you don’t understand why? The Atkinson Nets were fine but you realize they have Kevin Durant and James Harden now right? Some other guy who’s pretty good too…
I read that incorrectly I apologize lol
yeah but that teams wasn’t sniffing a championship. this one is an immediate contender
They were never given a chance to grow. They were the 6 seed in the East, but everyone on the team was still young and growing. They would have gotten better.
When you bake a cake, you don’t pull it out of the oven after 10 minutes and say it isn’t rising enough and go to the bakery instead. You have to give it time to fully cook. Then if it tastes bad, try a new tactic.
You rather a first round playoff team than a title contender? Weird…
I’d rather have a team I developed firsthand over a team cobbled together from other teams. If you have kids that are only B students, are you going to take them to the orphanage and adopt a couple of A students instead?
This is sport. We aren’t dealing with children. Drafting is not the same as creating but I get your point
Have you been following the Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving sagas? Do you really want to stick with the belief that we aren’t dealing with children?
That’s insane and cruel.
But, C- or D students? Absolutely! Get the orphanage kids!!
I agree generally speaking, although if you want to win a championship you’d sometimes have to make difficult choices in terms of upgrading or consolidating talent.
Personally, I think the best approach would be a bit of both: several key homegrown players you find it easy to root for and then a big FA/trade acquisition. All homegrown probably wouldn’t cut it. But one also doesn’t have to go all FA/trade names, either.
The Warriors were a perfect example of that. Homegrown Klay and Curry, brought Durant in as a FA. Granted, that type of superteam is a very rare thing but it illustrates my point.
As for the Nets in particular, Durant and Harden aren’t the most lovable guys but at least they were sensible FA and trade targets. Kyrie, on the other hand, was a known malcontent and nut job. Could the Nets have been expected to foresee recent events when they made the signing? Of course not. But it just goes to show that crazies like Kyrie aren’t zero risk. Even before covid, his mood swings and too-good-for-you attitude were problems for the organization. And then there’s his lengthy injury history.
Before the myth of the pre-Durant Nets begins another takeoff, and this board puts Kenny Atkinson in the HOF, at least consider the facts.
2018-19 was the Nets only decent year under Atkinson, finishing at 42-40 after a great midseason winning streak, followed by a fall off to and through their first round playoff loss. They were maybe organically grown, but not homegrown. The short rotation was a combination of their own draft picks (Allen, LeVert, RHJ), low profile FA signings (Dinwiddie, Harris), a high cost trade acquisition (DiLo), along with a few salary dump trade acquisitions (Carroll, Crabbe). It wasn’t a team they built to last that they later decided to blow up, just a group they pieced together for the short term purpose of being less embarrassing leading up to their 2019 reentry into the FA market.
Anyway, who was dumped? RHJ played his way out and wasn’t going to be retained regardless – no Q/O as a RFA. DiLo, YES, dumped in that they let him walk as an RFA – but Durant or not, do you really think Marks wanted to pay DiLo max in a year when he had over 70 mm in cap space? The following year, Harris was resigned. Allen and LeVert went in the Harden deal. Dumped? OK. But Dinwiddie wasn’t dumped, he got hurt and them left as a FA.
As a Knick fan, I wish the Nets had kept their legendary 2018-19 team together too. I’m also sure most of the teams in the East feel the same way.
If the Nets do not win a title pretty soon, with all their actions, they will have failed and NOT look good compared to 2019, which was more organic.
It would be hard not to collect those three stars though, given the opportunity. That is what Tony Ressler is shooting for.
I like this irony: the 2019 team showed the look & spirit of a team that Irving & Durant would want to join… but BRK had turnover and did not appreciate who made it happen. Now they are star-defined (greed added). Everywhere Kyrie goes, there he is, in his way. (crediting Mike Ditka for that.)
Championships are best, but a team one can root for feels good too.
Cry me a river. Do you really watch sports to get that warm fuzzy feeling that makes you feel loved ? No fans watch sports for the entertainment. People really complaining about the nets having 2 of the top 10 players in the league? Harden and Durant >>>>>>> any 2 player duo on any team in basketball today
They could have joined the Knicks; they had no identity. But they decided to join the team across town who did have one… and messed with it by joining. They were going somewhere as a duo.
It’s not major; mostly just a n irony. More like crying a creek. Teams rise & fall all the time, but usually by coveting some kids who can only enjoy them-selves and not the synergy of a group.
Clippers, same year, same thing. Interesting that Dinwiddie & Harrell are united now on the Wizards.
Clue everyone in and say why they watch sports.
So by your logic the nets would be better by saying no to Durant Irving and not trading for harden? As someone already pointed out the nets had one okay season where they finished 42-40. First round knockout in the playoffs or title contender almost guaranteed a top 3 seed hmm tough choice
Doubt they’ll ever be the kind of destination he envisions, where high end players take significantly less money to come there, particularly in the next couple of years. The city has never been a draw, the team isn’t proven enough to draw ring chasers, and the current roster is too deep with young players to suggest opportunity.
The city has never been a draw??? Lol wtf are you talking about dude
Other to Atlanta fanboys, of course. What I said isn’t really debatable. Your own owner as much as admits it (by saying he doesn’t understand it).
Atlanta has hosted the Olympics, numerous Super Bowls, College football HOF, has the busiest airport in the world, you might wanna do a lil research lol. Also I don’t have any owner smh you’re all over the place rn calm yourself down then google Atlanta, Georgia
NBA players like coming to ATL. They just don’t like to live here lol. Carmelo said as much when he was a FA years ago. Best avenue for the Hawks is to keep doing what they’re doing and develop their core IMO.
ATL has always been home to numerous NBA players that don’t even play here lol. And not just the NBA but NFL as well. I don’t think white guys understand what Atlanta means to Black culture in America. This is arguably the most important city in the world as far as Black culture is concerned. The NBA is largely Black. Now that the franchise isn’t trash it’s inevitable for more elite guys (especially young Black guys) to wanna play here
I could see why you THINK that, but it is not a top tier destination in any sport for players.
You’re clearly wrong. Braves been attracting top free agents since Terry Pendleton, Greg Maddux & more in the early 90s. Watch the game tmrw & you’ll see Charlie Morton, a prime example of a top tier guy that chose ATL. Atlanta United has 2 of the top5 highest paid guys in MLS who both chose ATL. uga has been a top tier destination for college football players for over a decade & when Tech basketball was rolling under Cremins & Hewitt we got numerous elite kids to come here
While I agree with 99% of what you are saying about ATL (it is a city that is only getting larger and I think it’s sports teams will become more of ‘big market’ spenders), but Charlie Morton picked ATL because of the close proximity to his family in Florida I believe. He basically said he wouldn’t play for anyone aside from the braves or Tampa bay so ATL was really the only choice for him at that point.
Charlie Morton, Will Smith & Tim Hudson before them all picked ATL bc it’s close to home. This is gonna be the exact same reason that guys like Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown & Collin Sexton are gonna be very interested in coming home to play for the Hawks in the near future
The organization wasn’t trash back in 2015. In fact the team back then was ready for an established star to take them to the next level. However, no NBA player wanted any part of it. And guess what, most of those guys who rejected were Black. Atlanta’s Black culture/history is an important thing, but it isn’t something that has just been discovered. I’m an ATL fan as well, but take the homer shades off.
Lol most of the guys that rejected the Hawks during the Budenholzer yrs were Black? Name those guys that rejected the Hawks during that time. My guess is that you can’t bc you’re talking out of your ask.. But about that team… Paul Millsap (along with Mutombo) is probably our best free agent signing ever. But by 2015 we were capped out & had a roster that had pretty much maximized it’s potential so management was extremely wary of the luxury tax. The focus back then was moreso on if we could afford to keep the guys we already had & clearly we couldn’t. Demarre left 1st & got a big payday, then Al left, then Teague/Korver/Baze/Dennis/Paul all left for big paydays as well. We were able to get Dwight Howard right after that tho as well as other guys so obviously you’re completely wrong when you say no NBA player wanted any part of the Hawks. The most important thing you fail to realize tho is that during that time our gm was a racist white guy named Danny Ferry. Ferry is now gone & the entire culture of the Hawks is different now. Ressler has said multiple times that the luxury tax won’t be an issue as long as the team continues to be a legit contender. Since Ferry’s dismissal the franchise embraces Black culture now in a way they never did before. That’s something that people that are unfamiliar with the team probably won’t notice or understand but it’s extremely obvious to the players & to anyone that’s paying attention tbh.
Hawks tried to get in the Melo sweepstakes in 2014 (who they had 0% chance in landing mind you). Hawks tried to get in the Lamarcus Aldridge sweepstakes in 2015. They also tried to get in on Luol Deng (not a star, but was a pretty hot commodity in 2014; this also led to the Ferry incident). Then in 2016 they finally landed the big star in Dwight (lol), but lost Horford in return. I’m sure they attempted to get involved with KD, Lebron, etc during that time but were probably laughed off the phone. All of them were Black, right? I don’t remember them chasing after Marc Gasol or Kevin Love.
Danny Ferry was not a racist. What he said was absolutely tone deaf and once the audio leaked the organization was smart to just move on without him. But if Ferry was truly a racist I don’t think the he’d have been hired by the Spurs to be a consultant just last year. Unless Pop is now also a “racist white guy”.
At the end of the day, we can agree to disagree. I think ATL would be smart to continue on the path they’re on right now and develop from within. If a star player wants in down the road, I’ll happily eat crow. However, history points to that not happening. Your examples of Zion (probably eyeing NY), Jaylen Brown (seems happy in Boston), and Sexton (who isn’t a STAR, and doesn’t really fit with the team) don’t really move the needle much either.
Lol Hawks never seriously pursued Melo or LA at all. That’s ridiculous. They definitely pursued Deng tho & would’ve signed him if not for Ferry & his racist comments. Ferry was clearly racist tho, you can call it white supremacist if you want. It’s telling that you think him being hired by San Antonio as proof of him not being racist. I guess you think there aren’t any racists/white supremacists working in professional sports or something
If it was the NFL I’d agree, but the NBA seems to have made a concerted effort to scrub the entire league of that stuff. I’m sure there is someone in almost every organization that is racist, but I doubt an organization that is heavily influenced by Gregg Popovich would willingly hire a “clear racist” in Danny Ferry without belief that such a statement is untrue.
Three cheers for homerism! It brought Ressler’s wallet trumping Schlenk’s patient plans.
It motivates Sankara but there are few titles. Ted Turner was admirable in his moneymaking, and spent it like Ressler is… but that ’95 title benefited from sympathy from the umps calling a wanky strike zone to favor Braves pitchers. But those were all whites.
I can understand LA or MIA been more attractive than ATL, but for sure I’d rather be in A-Town than in NYC any day of the week & twice on Sundays!