5 moves GM Landry Fields needs to make to save the Hawks from a rebuild

The Atlanta Hawks face a crucial offseason. They won the draft lottery in shocking fashion, even though they only had a three percent chance of being the first pick. It was a must-win after Atlanta finished 36-46 and was bounced in the Play-In tournament. Their star backcourt has not gone as planned and the franchise appears to be heading toward a dead end.

Landry Fields became the general manager and primary decision maker for the Hawks in 2022. They were a year away from the conference finals, but their situation only got worse. Atlanta suffered back-to-back first-round eliminations in the playoffs before failing to advance this season. The pressure is on Fields and his front office to improve their roster.

Atlanta doesn’t want to face a total rebuild. To avoid it, Fields must act this summer. They got the first pick in an iffy class, so there are no guarantees. The Hawks need to accomplish a lot if they want to get back into contention without completely blowing things up, and that involves several trades.

The fourth overall pick in 2019 is no stranger to trade rumors, and he is expected to be available this summer. Hunter’s leaves a lot to be desired on both ends of the floor and his contract makes moving him a tough sell.

The 26-year-old has three years and $69.9 million remaining on his contract. He is expected to make over $21 million per season and is expected to be entering his prime. It feels like Hunter will never live up to his current contract.

The 6’8 wing averaged 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29.5 minutes per game, but produced negative value over replacement player (VORP) for the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons.

Atlanta wants to move on, but finding the right job won’t be easy. The Hawks may have to include him in a bigger deal, so they won’t just give up on his contract. Regardless, this is just one piece of a significant roster overhaul expected to take place this summer.