Even without any additional moves, the Hawks should be a team built for 2025

As free agency gradually draws to a close, it’s no secret that the Atlanta Hawks haven’t been very involved.

At the time of writing, Atlanta had not signed any free agents. They picked up the team option on Garrison Mathews, who has given them solid minutes as a three-point shooter but has otherwise been inactive. This inactivity comes after they made a big trade to send Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick.

Given the context of their team and the roster itself, it makes perfect sense that they would not participate in the free agent market. Any real changes they were going to make to the roster would have to come through trades.

At the start of free agency, the NBA announced the various financial restrictions that teams would have to adhere to. The Hawks were probably only interested in one piece of information: the tax line.

The National Basketball Association announced today that the salary cap has been set at $140.588 million for the 2024-25 season. The tax level for the 2024-25 season is $170.814 million.

According to Spotrac, the Hawks have $153,288,268 in active salary cap space. Factoring in Zaccharie Risacher’s $12,569,040 salary cap hit, they come to $165,857,308 in salary commitments. This projection assumes they waive Saddiq Bey’s salary cap hit, which they have not yet done. Adding their current salary cap space and active salary commitments puts them above the luxury tax and gives them a portion of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception to add free agents.

Spotrac’s Keith Smith has released a list of the spending power of every NBA team, including the Hawks.

Frankly, there’s virtually no chance the Hawks pay the luxury tax. They’ve made moves to get under the tax in previous seasons and I expect that trend to continue. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that Atlanta can’t really add anyone in free agency outside of veteran minimum signings or a sign-and-trade.

By their actions, the Hawks made it clear that they wanted to surround Trae Young with a solid foundation of players who fit him and maximize his talents. There was really no one on the veteran minimum who fit that description. I think the inactivity of free agency becomes more palatable when you consider the moves they made before July 1.

First, they committed to Trae Young. They could have traded him and tried to start a rebuild, but they likely realized that not having control of future first-round picks made a rebuild very daunting. Young is also one of the best offensive creators in the NBA. His scoring prowess, playmaking ability, and offensive impact cannot be understated. If the Hawks want to recapture the success of 2021, it’s hard to imagine it happening without Young on the roster.

They then cut their losses from the initial Murray trade. Instead of refusing to admit an obvious mistake, they got real value back for a player who simply wasn’t a good fit for their team. Murray is an All-Star talent, but his fit with Young never materialized. A player like Dyson Daniels, whose defense and point guard play complement Young, makes a lot more sense on the Hawks’ roster.

Looking at the current state of the Eastern Conference, is there a free agent move that would have allowed the Hawks to access a new level of talent without crippling their long-term future? Right now, Atlanta is likely still in the Eastern Conference play-in group. The Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, Bucks, Cavaliers, Magic and Pacers are all stronger teams. The Hawks are in the same group as the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors. There is not a player making less than $5.2 million that would allow the Hawks to overtake the Heat or Raptors.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, DeMar DeRozan is reportedly interested in a one-year deal or a trade. The Hawks are not expected to be interested in either deal.

“I think there’s interest in DeMar DeRozan, but the type of contract he might want just isn’t going to be available. He’s not being left on the market. The Bulls are more than willing to work on a sign-and-trade deal to get him the years and money he might want, but with the new salary cap rules, that’s a lot harder for teams to do.”

“I think in DeMar DeRozan’s case, and it might not be as appealing to him, it might be like a one-year deal somewhere. Let the market reset next year because if you’re going to make a trade, it’s got to be at least three years. And now you’re locked into a three-year deal at a number you might not like.”

Adding a player like DeRozan, even for a year, would stunt the development of the Johnson-Risacher tandem. His reluctance to shoot three-pointers, his confidence in the ball, and his shot selection also make him a poor matchup for Young. A trade would be even worse, as they would be committing long-term to a player who doesn’t make much sense for their roster.

Looking at the other options, it’s clear that the Hawks don’t have a clear, immediate trade on the table. The Hawks have no real chance of acquiring Lauri Markkanen — and they shouldn’t. Zach LaVine’s contract runs for three more seasons with a salary cap hit in excess of $40 million. Even if Atlanta gets a pick from Chicago to take on the deal, it severely limits their roster flexibility. Their best bet is to be patient and open up as much flexibility as possible for the 2025 offseason.

In this context, Clint Capela absolutely must be traded. There is no sense in lining up three centers (Capela, Okongwu, and Nance) who actually make money. At a minimum, this deal needs to be done before the 2024 trade deadline. He has value as an expiring contract, but his age and $22 million salary severely limit the number of teams that can sign him.

A deal for DeAndre Hunter would open the door to more flexibility for 2025, but the simple reality of his expensive contract means he likely won’t be traded this summer. Virtually every team has already sorted out their power forward situation or doesn’t have the cap space to take on Hunter. He’s also too good a player to afford to lose salary. Hunter’s shooting and perimeter defense are in-demand skills across the NBA that the Hawks shouldn’t give up for nothing.

Atlanta entered this offseason with limited draft capital, little cap space and a backline that needed to be dismantled. They dismantled that backline, gained some draft capital and refrained from squandering their already limited cap space. Short of finding a trade for Capela, there’s not much more the Hawks could have done in this round of trades that would have improved their trajectory. Their best bet is to be patient and reevaluate the roster in 2025 after surrounding Young with wings (Daniels, Johnson and Risacher) who seem to fit his skill set. The decision Young makes on his 2026-27 player option will be a true testament to the success — or failure — of this front office’s plan.