Exploring Atlanta Hawks Options with Trent Forrest

The Atlanta Hawks appear to be at a crossroads when it comes to their roster. They made Trae Young the face of the franchise when they made the trade on draft night that sent Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks. However, the Hawks muddied the waters when they traded for Dejounte Murray. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the backcourt did not solidify.

The problem is that the Hawks seemed to be performing at a higher level when Young was injured and Murray was leading the team. The Hawks’ defense has improved without Young and while Murray has had a big influence on that, it’s the play of bench players like Trent Forrest that has had the biggest impact.

The Hawks handled the Forrest situation poorly last season. He was a two-way player early in the season before the Hawks exhausted his availability. They then took their time making a decision, keeping him on the College Park Skyhawks and losing a spot on the varsity team. Ultimately, they waived Patty Mills and signed Forrest to a contract for the remainder of the season.

The Hawks are in a very difficult position given the team’s poor performance and the lack of salary cap room they have. Without major personnel changes, the Hawks risk paying for mediocrity on the court while shelling out nearly $170 million next season.

Unless the Hawks can make the right trades to free up cap space, they will need to sign quality players at low cost. So why not sign Forrest? Well, the problem is that it will be pretty much the same as last season.

Forrest is a solid defender but he lacks the offensive confidence to be an X-factor. The Hawks have the added complication that Forrest can no longer be a two-way player because he has spent too many consecutive seasons in the league and must therefore receive a full contract if signed.

If the Hawks make a trade that can free up salary cap room, then there is reason for the front office to offer Forrest a short-term deal. However, if the Hawks can’t move any of their high-end contracts, then Forrest should start looking for another NBA home. He’s not going to move the needle enough to get re-signed, so the Hawks need to pass on Forrest.