I remorse to tell you, Spurs followers, that the Atlanta Hawks are having one other nice offseason. After buying and selling Dejounte Murray for Dyson Daniels and drafting Zaccharie Risacher final 12 months, they made a killer draft-day commerce, acquired Kristaps Porzingis, and signed Nikeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard this summer season. And so they would possibly nonetheless not be completed.
The destiny of a historically middling Jap Convention workforce wouldn’t usually concern the Spurs, however the authentic Dejounte Murray commerce linked the 2 franchises. San Antonio already obtained the 14th decide on this 12 months’s draft, Carter Bryant, because of it. Subsequent 12 months, the Silver and Black have swap rights to the Hawks’ first-rounder, and in 2027 they’ll obtain the final first Atlanta owes. Naturally, the more severe their former commerce companion does, the extra useful it’s for the Spurs, because the worth of these picks is tied to the file the Hawks find yourself with. As talked about, this 12 months they obtained the 14th decide. Nobody will complain about getting one other chunk of the draft apple, nevertheless it wasn’t a very nice asset. And the upcoming ones ought to be worse.
A part of the Hawks’ projected success has little to do with them. The East is unhealthy. It’s the explanation why the 2025 decide landed as little as it did regardless of a lackluster Hawks 12 months, and it might have landed decrease had Atlanta received the play-in recreation. Subsequent season, the convention is huge open, so even a fairly proficient roster might make the postseason, which might take away the principle worth of a decide: its capacity to land within the lottery and switch right into a top-4 choice. The 14th decide this 12 months had an opportunity, albeit a small one, to show into the Cooper Flagg. It did not, however the Mavericks, which received only one fewer recreation than the Hawks, really landed the highest decide. Sadly, it’s virtually unattainable to see the swap from subsequent 12 months being within the lottery.
It’s not simply the East that’s the challenge. The Hawks deserve loads of credit score for pivoting so efficiently from the disastrous authentic Murray commerce. They obtained fortunate within the lottery and picked up Risacher, a contemporary wing who won’t have star upside however ought to be a rotation participant for years to come back. In that very same summer season, Atlanta obtained runner-up for Defensive Participant of the 12 months, Dyson Daniels, for Murray. They weren’t an awesome workforce, however they managed to outlive a season-ending harm to start-in-he-making Jalen Johnson whereas remaining in play-in territory. Then the entrance workplace traded De’Andre Hunter for Caris LeVert’s massive expiring contract, Georges Niang, and draft compensation, and so they moved Bogdan Bogdanovic for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland, attaching picks to take action. Initially, the strikes appeared questionable, however looking back, the cap flexibility they created helped massively this offseason.
The entrance workplace was aggressive. Niang, Mann, and one among their two 2025 firsts was Porzingis. Letting LeVert stroll allowed the Hawks to make use of the huge commerce exception they obtained within the John Collins wage dump to get Alexander-Walker whereas protecting the mid-level exception, which they used on Luke Kennard. Additionally they picked up Asa Newell after buying and selling down with the Pelicans on a deal that obtained them swap rights with the Pelicans or Bucks in 2026, a decide that would grow to be helpful if Giannis Antetokounmpo decides to demand a commerce or New Orleans struggles.
This 12 months, Quin Snyder might use a rotation of Younger, NAW, Daniels, Johnson, Porzingis, Kennard, Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu. He might combine and match, going massive or small. There are a few fascinating gamers outdoors of that rotation, too. That’s a playoff workforce. Pondering previous subsequent season, assuming Younger doesn’t choose out and go away, the Hawks ought to be capable to retain their key free brokers, maintain their younger core collectively, and probably make different massive strikes, since they don’t seem to be near tax and apron territories. They’re arrange for fulfillment within the brief and medium time period.
Something can occur within the NBA. Perhaps accidents or poor chemistry will decimate the Hawks, and the Spurs will get to leap into the lottery with the 2026 swap. The 2027 decide has worth, irrespective of the place it lands. In the long run, the Murray commerce was successful for San Antonio by way of course of, even when the outcomes usually are not as thrilling as beforehand anticipated.
If there are any classes to be taught from the Hawks’ turnaround and the way it impacts San Antonio is {that a} workforce can solely depend on what it could possibly management. If the Spurs’ path again to competition relied solely on Atlanta being horrible, issues would look grim. Thankfully, these picks solely play a component in a extra versatile and complete plan crafted by a wise and forward-thinking entrance workplace.
