From now until the start of the season, Corban Ford will be releasing offseason reviews for all 30 teams. These pieces will lay out the key losses and additions, along with an analysis describing some of the major moves and whether they positioned the team better for success or closer to disaster. This edition will center on the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks….what do you say about a team searching for their soul? After a few disappointing years following its surprise 2021 ECF appearance, Atlanta looks to figure out their long-term direction while their overall identity remains in flux.

Key Losses

Dejounte Murray (traded to New Orleans), Saddiq Bey (signed with Washington), Bruno Fernando (signed with Toronto), A.J. Griffin (traded to Houston, then retired) 

Key Additions

Zaccharie Risacher (drafted #1st overall), Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller (traded from New Orleans), David Roddy (traded from Phoenix)

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves in a curious position, having the dubious distinction of a team attempting to “contend” that also ended up with the first pick of the draft due to their contention plans falling extremely short of the mark. This past offseason marked the beginning of a shift for the front office, with the first move being the selection of Zaccharie Risacher on June 26th. Risacher is a lengthy 6′ 9 wing with solid catch-and-shoot skills (he knocked down 47% of his threes in 2023-24), and the potential is also there for him to be a plus-level defender. However, for a number one pick, the sheer game-changing presence isn’t there for him on either end of the floor, although that could develop in time.

The second more seismic move for Atlanta came on July 6th, with the trade of guard Dejonte Murray to New Orleans for a package that included Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks. Murray had just finished two very productive years with Atlanta, including career highs in minutes played, points scored, and overall field goal percentage. Unfortunately, though, the fit with franchise mainstay Trae Young in the backcourt never really worked, and although Murray achieved individual success, as a team, Atlanta….really didn’t. In exchange for Murray, the Hawks now have an intriguing defensive talent in Daniels, a serviceable vet with defensive versatility (when healthy) in Nance, a young prospect in Liddell, an older vet in Zeller, and some draft capital. The overall return isn’t super crazy considering the sheer haul that Atlanta gave up for Murray less than four years ago, but it is a good package nonetheless.

Looking Ahead

Where Atlanta goes from here is interesting. As currently constructed, it is difficult to determine where they are headed, as they aren’t good enough to really scare anyone in the postseason (or really the play-in) but are also not in a position to rebuild due to San Antonio holding a chunk of their future picks (bon voyage Dejonte!) Financially, the Hawks are also capped, so there isn’t flexibility at the moment to make anything substantial happen outside of moving Trae Young, which, given all of the social media rumors, seems to remain a non-starter. With the consistently productive Young at the helm, Atlanta has no choice but to put their best effort out there and see where it takes them, even if the ultimate destination might end up exactly where they left off the season prior.