How do you like the off-season so far?

[NBASupes]

For me:

A- Better than I expected. I felt this was going to be a bad off-season last like last two years. But this is probably on par with the 2020 free agency when we landed Gallo and Bogi as the key targets. Missed on Dunn and Rondo. Landed OO and Mays. 

This year, we landed Bufkin, Gueye, and Lundy in the draft. While I liked OO pick a lot more than Bukfin, I like the Bufkin pick and it was the best pick on the court with Podz considering Whitmore's medical. Loved the Gueye pick in terms of effort and I am curious to see how his development goes. Lundy seemed like a typical Hawks pick but it felt more like a Bud pick more than TS pick. Shooting was at a premium. B+

We traded JC awful contract for his prototype and got a 2nd rounder and 23+ TPE which was a shock to me considering his declining trade value plus his contract was. I didn't want to trade JC and a 1st but to land a 2nd and lose nothing, I considered it an ideal trade. Nothing special but good value considering JC contract and declining value. B+

The Garuba+Washington with two 2nds deal was straight out of the school of Ferry. A+ 

Overall, ended up with an A- so far. I know some fans will say we got worse but JC wasn't fitting at all after the Murray trade and anyone will plug at the 4 could do better than 22-23 JC. Especially Bey. 

I do have major questions for 23-24

Will Trae and Murray fit better

How will JJ play as a starter or if Bey starts and he's playing next to Griffin. JJ really broke out next to Bey. Will one of them adjust will to starting. 

Can the Hawks develop their players again

Who will we lose in 2024 offseason, Murray or Bey or neither or both

I can't wait honestly for summer league. This squad is stacked 1-17. Landry did a good job loading this squad up with talent that's willing to work hard and be developed. We just gotta develop them.

[parfait]

I agree with your assessments @NBASupes:

They hit on their draft once again.

They traded a non-fitting player with a bad contract, in JC, without giving up an asset, and actually gaining essentially 2 assets: a huge TPE, and a 2nd rd pick (the latter of which are still useful currency as we’ve seen.)

They were highly opportunistic in the HOU trade.

And both of the trades set them up for a big swing consolidation trade (KAT, PG, Siakam), or at least the ability to now use the MLE on another quality rotation player.

They can also wait and be opportunistic again with the possible dealing of CC and/or DeAndre to teams that miss out on the FA merry-go-round.

When you sprinkle on top of all of this the re-establishment of Hawks University with their assistant coaching hires, the assembling of a wave of new students for Hawks U (Kobe, Mo, Lundy, TyTy, Usman), and a full summer for Snyder to implement his system, I also believe we’ve had an A-grade summer that could still go to an A+ if that big trade comes through.

But I don’t believe you can judge the offseason until mid July at the earliest (after the gathering of GM’s at summer league).
I’ve come a long way from the initial depression upon hearing of the JC trade, to where I’m now pretty happy, especially considering all the empty calories consumed by many of the other teams in their FA feeding frenzy.

 

[gurpilo]

I want to see summer league and off-season before making any judgment.

For me at the moment is C, we did not solve any of the issues we had on the roster, apparently we added some young talent but I want to see how they perform on summer league. We gained some financial flexibility but we have not used it to improve the roster for the moment.

we still need size and defense specially on the frontcourt and we did not solve those issues.

[TheBigETrain]

I don't think this is a playoff team unless Quin is a great coach.

Losing Collins is a blow. I think he is underrated. I think ultimately Bey takes over as starting PF and Bufkin comes in to replace some of Bey bench minutes. Not a direct swap at SF, but Bogi and Griffin to see time as SF as Hunter's backup with Bufkin spotting time for Murray at SG. 

Personally I dont think Garuba or Washington will play much. They are 3rd string and we've already seen that Quin doesn't like a deep rotation with Griffin benched far too much last season after Quin took over.

Edited July 3, 2023 by TheBigETrain

[theheroatl]

F. We haven't addressed the defensive deficiencies one bit. We give up too many points to the bad teams. Rookies take time and Bufkin isn't the defensive savior though he could be a Delon Wright for us in 3 years.

Edited July 3, 2023 by theheroatl

[parfait]

Even with no further moves (and even without a big trade we could still sign a MLE rotation wing or PG), you’re looking at the following 10 man rotation:

Trae  30+ minutes

DJM   30+

DH   30+

OO  30+

Bogi  20+

JJ    20+

Bey   20+

CC   20+

AJ  10-15

Kobe 5-10

Lundy 5-10

The offensive firepower and depth were already there, and the offense should be more consistent with more shooters now in the rotation, and greater ball movement under Snyder.

The defensive improvement is even more dependent on Snyder’s influence and the staff’s teaching, but the potential is there to at least become an average defense.

Then look at the Eastern Conference landscape:

Boston/Milwaukee conference leaders

2nd tier: Philly, possibly with Miami if Dame joins.

3rd tier: Brooklyn, NY, Cleveland, Atlanta

4th tier: Toronto

Philly could easily drop to the next tier if they lose Harden.

And the same for Miami (if no Dame), who didn’t even make the top 8 last year and has lost most of their bench.

So in my opinion the East is pretty wide open, and it could only require the cohesion that comes with a top tier coach (and his system) to take a talented, developing (JJ, AJ, OO), and deep Atlanta team solidly into the playoffs.

 

[macdaddy]

I'm reserving judgement because there must be more moves coming.   Right now we have another .500 team i think.  Yeah it's possible that Hunter, OO, AJ, or JJ have break out seasons but more likely we just see some improvement.  Our roster is very inexperienced at this point.

 

[Gray Mule]

So much will depend on Quin Snyder and all his assistant coaches.

There may yet be moves made by our GM and this will certainly have an influence on the entire season.  If moves do happen, they could happen any time between today and the trade deadline.

Maturity of many young Hawks will play a part.  Expect improvement all across the roster.  Being the eternal optimist, expecting great things for this season's Atlanta Hawk team should come as a shock to no one.

[Hawkish]

On 7/2/2023 at 2:40 AM, NBASupes said:

For me:

A- Better than I expected. I felt this was going to be a bad off-season last like last two years. But this is probably on par with the 2020 free agency when we landed Gallo and Bogi as the key targets. Missed on Dunn and Rondo. Landed OO and Mays. 

This year, we landed Bufkin, Gueye, and Lundy in the draft. While I liked OO pick a lot more than Bukfin, I like the Bufkin pick and it was the best pick on the court with Podz considering Whitmore's medical. Loved the Gueye pick in terms of effort and I am curious to see how his development goes. Lundy seemed like a typical Hawks pick but it felt more like a Bud pick more than TS pick. Shooting was at a premium. B+

We traded JC awful contract for his prototype and got a 2nd rounder and 23+ TPE which was a shock to me considering his declining trade value plus his contract was. I didn't want to trade JC and a 1st but to land a 2nd and lose nothing, I considered it an ideal trade. Nothing special but good value considering JC contract and declining value. B+

The Garuba+Washington with two 2nds deal was straight out of the school of Ferry. A+ 

Overall, ended up with an A- so far. I know some fans will say we got worse but JC wasn't fitting at all after the Murray trade and anyone will plug at the 4 could do better than 22-23 JC. Especially Bey. 

I do have major questions for 23-24

Will Trae and Murray fit better

How will JJ play as a starter or if Bey starts and he's playing next to Griffin. JJ really broke out next to Bey. Will one of them adjust will to starting. 

Can the Hawks develop their players again

Who will we lose in 2024 offseason, Murray or Bey or neither or both

I can't wait honestly for summer league. This squad is stacked 1-17. Landry did a good job loading this squad up with talent that's willing to work hard and be developed. We just gotta develop them.

TBD— The Houston trade seems like a low risk with the chance of a moderate reward. Garuba appears to be a player that can have a niche role on a bench.  TyTy, from the little I’ve read, has a legitimate skill set. It’d be great to see him develop into a reliable 5th guard on the team and having the ability to fill in as a BU guard when any of Trae, DJ, or Bogi inevitably misses time.

The Collins trade is incomplete since we traded for flexibility and opportunity.  Do we take advantage of this balance sheet asset?  If not, from a fan’s perspective, we did just seem to give up quality depth for nothing.  However, I anticipate this was the right move for where we are going and what we need to get there.  Collins seemed like a good team guy that worked hard (very valuable attributes).  Having said that, he was limited.  I personally like JJ’s skill set more (not saying JJ is a replacement) as I put great value on ball-handling and passing.  

[JayBirdHawk]

Incomplete!

1. We traded JC to get under the tax which was the goal and got a TPE. At least we didn't pay to move hime. It's still to be determined how the TPE (some or all of it) will be used to UPGRADE the team.

2. We got 'stuff' for nothing in the Houston deal. Replenished some of the second round picks. The players right now are camp bodies, will see who we keep/trade/waive. 

 

[JeffS17]

I grade the offseason so far as a B-.  I say that knowing there might be more moves made.  If you reach back to the all-star break and include the Quin hire and coaching staff overhaul, I'll give us a A- because most of what makes me optimistic about our future is Quin and the development team.

• JC is off the books.  This is a band-aid that I believe we needed to rip off because there's no way he was going to tolerate being on the block for a whole year more without being a detriment to the locker room.  And his play was reflective of someone who does not feel valued (rightfully so).  I get the circumstances from both sides but it is what it is -- he had to be moved and at least we didn't need to attach a first.
• Happy with the young guys we've brought in as people have mentioned a lot here.  Looking forward to the next 1-3 years to see how they develop and who rises to the top
• New CBA being signed probably moves my overall rating up from C territory because it makes more sense why we shed JC salary and why we aren't big spending yet.  Of course, Ressler was certainly one of the owners that wanted and pushed for a hard cap so he doesn't have to spend to win, so I don't absolve all blame here
• As of this moment, I worry about our starting unit next year IF Capela, and especially Hunter, stay on the team.  Being in trade discussions all offseason and constantly being listed as players we are shopping is not going to be good for their morale and will hurt us if they cannot buy into the team and what Quin is putting together.  I do not want Hunter to turn into another JC scenario.  I think Capela has been around long enough to be fine with his name being in talks and Trae loves him so I'm not as worried about him.

Looking forward to seeing what we do between now and October and how these assessments might shift.

[Wretch]

I;N - incomplete, needs improvement

I've never been a fan of exceptions, cap space, and cash considerations.  Outside of the super-rare splash, we seem to always be holding our breath when it comes to making things happen.  Ironically, this is the one consistent holdover post-Babcock - playing it safe and soft resets.  I don't think we're going to do anything to follow up the JC "trade." 

In regards to the trade itself, I'm not happy about it...but I'm more put off by how the whole saga played out than I am by the trade or the return we got on it.  I was quietly hoping that we'd make a move for Porzingis knowing that the offseason would be "same as it ever was."  We have a franchise stud after all these years and we're wasting away in WLOC land.

Having tasted the ECF's, I have zero interest in regressing and I can't get excited about the new guys when we already have too much talent (really good talent) that needs development.  Which is one of the silver linings in all of this - hoping to see OO, JJ, and AJ rise.

I wanted to see us get some shooters, hoping for at least one elite shooter in the starting lineup and a de-clustering of our front court.  The later is partially resolved, but we can't start OO and Cap together and we shouldn't be benching one over the other.  On the shooting, that's the other silver lining...  Maybe with Snyder revamping the offense, guys will be in better position to knock it down and we'll have native improvement?

Just have to wait and see I guess. 

[parfait]

Signing DJM to this extension has to surely boost the grade for this offseason, no matter what happens next.  Maybe it goes from an A- to an A. And an upgrade at center could shoot it to an A+. But no matter what this team is looking deep, talented, and well-coached.

[swanlee]

Sad to see JC go, his contract and finger injury lead him to not live up to the contract so while it sucks this is probably the best long term move for both parties. 

Really happy DJM resigned, makes the trade for him fully worth it and shores up our starting backcourt for many years and leaves us room to work with

The draft went well happy with who we got.

I'm pretty happy so far and look forward to Quinn getting a full off season and him having a hand picked coaching staff.

[theheroatl]

Changing my grade to an A. Getting Murray to sign that deal was a massive win. That was a huge looming elephant and it brings solidity to the team going into camp.

IMO they've done 3 big moves (ill count trade deadline cause it was Landry doing the work):

Collins Dumped
Murray Re-signed
Bey Traded
 

Draftees are draftees.. I'm not going to include them in my evaluation because they are kids.

Edited July 7, 2023 by theheroatl

[Peoriabird]

We got younger which is a plus.  I would like to see a capela deal and somehow bring in a younger more mobile 7 footer at some point. We still have a ton of flexibility. 

B

I know many want to build quickly but bandaid hurt not help. I think we are headed in the right direction.

[JeffS17]

On 7/3/2023 at 12:14 PM, JeffS17 said:

I grade the offseason so far as a B-.  I say that knowing there might be more moves made.  If you reach back to the all-star break and include the Quin hire and coaching staff overhaul, I'll give us a A- because most of what makes me optimistic about our future is Quin and the development team.

• JC is off the books.  This is a band-aid that I believe we needed to rip off because there's no way he was going to tolerate being on the block for a whole year more without being a detriment to the locker room.  And his play was reflective of someone who does not feel valued (rightfully so).  I get the circumstances from both sides but it is what it is -- he had to be moved and at least we didn't need to attach a first.
• Happy with the young guys we've brought in as people have mentioned a lot here.  Looking forward to the next 1-3 years to see how they develop and who rises to the top
• New CBA being signed probably moves my overall rating up from C territory because it makes more sense why we shed JC salary and why we aren't big spending yet.  Of course, Ressler was certainly one of the owners that wanted and pushed for a hard cap so he doesn't have to spend to win, so I don't absolve all blame here
• As of this moment, I worry about our starting unit next year IF Capela, and especially Hunter, stay on the team.  Being in trade discussions all offseason and constantly being listed as players we are shopping is not going to be good for their morale and will hurt us if they cannot buy into the team and what Quin is putting together.  I do not want Hunter to turn into another JC scenario.  I think Capela has been around long enough to be fine with his name being in talks and Trae loves him so I'm not as worried about him.

Looking forward to seeing what we do between now and October and how these assessments might shift.

I'd say my grade moves up to B+/A- territory after the Murray signing.  Front office hasn't really missed since the Quin hire imo

[Diesel]

Getting Murray to extend is a huge win.

Losing JC for Dryer Lint was a fail in my book. 

The trade for whatever Houston sent us was a B-...

Right now overall a B+. 

IF we can net a star not named Siakam it slides up to a A.

 

[JeffS17]

30 minutes ago, Diesel said:

Getting Murray to extend is a huge win.

Losing JC for Dryer Lint was a fail in my book. 

The trade for whatever Houston sent us was a B-...

Right now overall a B+. 

IF we can net a star not named Siakam it slides up to a A.

 

Getting off JC cleared the way for a lot of potential moves, though.  Siakam and KAT specifically only happen if we're off JC's contract, from a $ perspective and from a basketball fit perspective.  Absolute worst case scenario, the front office is falling back on the potential of JJ being tapped by the coaching staff.  I think that's a fine risk to take given the flexibility of the TPE and the new CBA not really allowing for exceptional spending above the floor.

[Gray Mule]

So far this off season has been a pleasant occurence for most Squawk posters.

The draft, two deals made and contemplating another deal.