Hawks Collecting Talent With Spending Binge

  • Wednesday, December 2, 2020
  • Joseph Dycus
The Atlanta Hawks' MLK City Edition Court
The Atlanta Hawks' MLK City Edition Court

(This is part-two of a three-part series about the Atlanta Hawks’ offseason. In today’s article, we will look at how Atlanta’s free agent signings (and sign and trades) will impact the team.)

 

2020 has been a bizarre year for the NBA and world as a whole, and few things encapsulate the insanity of the new decade like seeing the words “Bigtime spender” next to “Atlanta Hawks.” Normally a team content with handing out lowkey deals, the Peach State’s pro basketball squad had oodles of cash to spend, and spend they did.

While Onyeka Okongwu may indeed be the best defensive prospect the Hawks have drafted since Josh Smith (2004), the real story of the Hawks’ offseason was the shot-happy artillery they rolled in via free agency.

 

The Hawks of last season had an abundance of talented players who unfortunately lacked a key attribute all great teams have. Natural athleticism and raw potential are insignificant when compared to the almighty gift of “experience” only attained by years of playing professional basketball. Last year’s 20 win outfit supplied highlights and puzzling decision-making at an equal rate, and their green bench unit may as well have been a forest by season’s end.

 

And so the Hawks set forth into free agency with one mission in mind, and that was to supplement their transcendent (but still developing) point guard Trae Young with some actual adults. In came Danilo Gallinari from Oklahoma City, Bogdan Bogdanovic from Sacramento, Solomon Hill from Miami, Kris Dunn from Chicago, and Rajon Rondo from Los Angeles. Those five bring a combined 40 years of NBA experience to Atlanta’s talented roster.  

 

Gallinari is reportedly on a three year, $62 million deal with the team after Atlanta executed a sign and trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The combo-forward has been a knockdown shooter for over a decade, and ranked 19th in the association in accuracy from three point land last year. But Gallinari is far from a corner specialist who plants himself in one spot and lives and dies with his teammates ability (or inability) to feed him shots. The sharpshooter averaged almost 20 PPG and is extremely comfortable creating his own shot in the midrange using stepbacks and crafty dribble moves.

 

“Danilo checks a lot of boxes for what we have prioritized,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk said. “We wanted to add productive veterans and high-level shooting to our group and he provides both. At his size, he is one of the league’s most versatile and efficient scorers and he has proven to be the type of veteran you want in your locker room.

 

There has been some discussion and speculation as to how this will affect John Collins’ place in the power forward rotation. The third-year player averaged a classic 20 and 10 as a bouncy lob target and developing shooter in 41 games, but now will have to compete with Gallinari for minutes. Collins is also eligible for an extension, and the Italian’s long-term deal seems to cast doubts on whether Collins is part of Atlanta’s long-term plans.

 

Atlanta’s other big signing was nothing if not dramatic. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was rumored to be a Milwaukee Buck in all but name at one point, and many a pundit were dreaming of how the jack-of-all-trades would play off reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, that rumored deal never materialized, and the Hawks ended up as the benefactor of Milwaukee’s blunder. Bogdanovic reportedly signed a four year, $72 million deal.   

 

The 6’6 wing is in the prime of his career, having spent the past few seasons playing next to De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Heild in what was one of the NBA’s more underrated guard triumvirates. He was known for shooting and only started about half of his games in his Sacramento career, but Bogdanovic put up a 15/3/3 slash line for the Kings in under 30 minutes a game last season.

 

Those three assists in many ways undersell what a potent playmaker Bogdanovic is. Trae Young’s days of being the sole playmaker on the perimeter are hopefully gone, as the 28 year-old signing is a natural floor general who is capable of spraying passes to open teammates out of the pick and roll. In addition to his passing acumen, Bogdanovic is also comfortable creating his own shot off the bounce, which is surely something coach Lloyd Pierce and the Hawks will appreciate in the upcoming season.

 

“Bogdan has a great feel for the game, and we expect him to be a great fit for us with his high-level offensive skill set, experience and toughness,” Schlenk said. “It’s no secret that one of our biggest areas of focus in free agency was adding shooting and quality depth. With Bogdan as part of our incoming group, we feel those are now areas of strength.”

 

Wings Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and Kevin Huerter were all guaranteed minutes on the wing last year, but Bogdanovic’s arrival spells an end to that era. While all three of those players should receive minutes this year, they are now firmly underneath Bogdanovic in the pecking order. This might be for the best though, especially for Reddish, who looked overwhelmed to start last season and might benefit from playing against bench players.

 

Kris Dunn reportedly signed a two year deal for $10 million, and Solomon Hill inked a one year deal for just over $2 million. Dunn has gained a reputation a new-age Tony Allen in stops with both the Timberwolves and Bulls. While few would say he plays defense at the same maniacal level as the Grindfather, Dunn is a sturdy 6’4 guard who may be the defensive stopper the Hawks have desperately needed for years.

 

“Kris is an elite defender and an intense competitor who will bring real value to our group,”  Schlenk said. “We are happy to add him and believe his presence will improve our club.”

 

Solomon Hill will never make a highlight reel, but he is a capable shooter on the wing who tries on defense. Hill got spot minutes in “last year’s” NBA finals for the Miami Heat and has played on several playoff teams. Like Gallinari, Hill should bring veteran leadership to a team that has known nothing but lottery status for the last three years. 

 

“Solomon is a player who has been on four playoff teams and has competed on the highest level,” Schlenk said. “We are fortunate to add his veteran presence to our group.”

 

While Hill has a bevy of veteran experience, few players have a resume of big moments quite like Rajon Rondo. From a role player on the 2008 Celtics championship team as the fourth guy in the “Big Three’s” solar system to the “sun” that the team revolved around a few years later on another finals team, Rondo was once a superstar on a team full of them. But over the last decade, Rondo floated around the league and garnered a reputation as a player who racked up assists almost as often as he did new teams.

 

But in his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo found a role as a wily floor general for the eventual champion. He excelled as a primary ballhandler who controlled the ball when LeBron James needed a rest, and put up a plush 19 point, four assist gem off the bench in the deciding game six of the NBA Finals. With all due respect to Jeff Teague, Rondo* will be a major upgrade at the backup point guard slot. 

 

“Rajon is an intense competitor, a proven winner and a true student of the game,” Schlenk said. “His resume and experience speak for themselves. We’re excited to add him to our group.”

 

These five newcomers may have cost a sizable amount of cash and salary cap space, but if the Hawks can ascend beyond being lottery night participants, then they will be wise investments.

 

Part three of this series will describe Atlanta’s place in the Eastern Conference.

 

You can contact the author at joseph.a.dycus@gmail.com

 

 


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