The NBA today feels like a place where teams are ready to put all their chips into winning a championship now, while not focusing too much on the future. Regardless of whether that means being in a salary cap crunch later on or trading your future away for a star, teams are doing whatever they can to put themselves in a position to contend.
In their defense, the league has been wide open for years, and there's been a new champion since 2019. Now, there's no telling which teams will make it to the NBA Finals and win it all, and teams believe in making the necessary move to speed up the process. The Atlanta Hawks may be one of thefew teams in the league that are doing that.
The Hawks are making smart moves
For the past two years, the Hawks have not only made solid free agent signings, but they've also made smart trades that don't cripple their future. This past season, it was trading for Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, and it didn't cost them much to acquire two players with championship experience. Last offseason, they signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who ended up turning into the Most Improved Player in the League.
Through that, the Hawks have signed their core players, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, to contract-friendly extensions. You can't forget about the mix of veterans on the team, such as CJ McCollum, who is on a one-year deal. All of these moves have them ready to compete this season, but it also sets them up to make more moves in the future if they need to.
Many peoplewanted the Hawks to trade for Jaylen Brownduring the offseason, but that would've been trying to speed up their timeline. Instead, the Hawks made three draft picks, and they plan on developing those players to create the necessary depth on the team to compete.
The Hawks are trying to build sustainable success
At any time, the Hawks could make a move for a big superstar with all the assets they have, but it all depends on who becomes available. If the Hawks do want to trade for someone, it wouldn't hurt them because they have players on valuable contracts, and they have young assets that could sweeten the deal. It wouldn't feel like they're gutting the team either, which is important when trying to build a good foundation.
The Hawks showed last season they could make the playoffs with the young core they had, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they did so again this season with their upgraded roster. But it means much more beyond these next two seasons, as the Hawks are building for sustainable success for years to come, and they're on the right path with how their roster is constructed.
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