How Much BETTER Did the Hawks Get? — Porzingis, NAW, Kennard!
What’s up y’all? It’s JC. If you’re new, welcome to the channel. If you’re a subscriber, welcome back. And please hit that like button, leave a comment so that you can see the channel grow. But let’s get into the topic. So, as we know, NBA free agency is underway. The NBA offseason is underway. Teams are making moves, but I want to talk about the Atlanta Hawks. So, their first big move was that, you know, trading. It was a three three team trade with um you know it was a Celtics Nets and they acquired Chris Taps Porzingis. Um so that’s one move that they made. I believe uh Terrence man and George’s Nang was involved in that deal. Um so they departed from Atlanta. Um and then you know with the NBA draft they get I hope I’m pronouncing his name correctly as um a kid out of um Georgia player at Mount V. So, uh, you know, it’s some potential there, but we just got to wait and see. Um, but and then free agency started, right? Um, they they struck some deals. They struck some some deals that that that says that, you know, they’re ready to compete in the East. So, first big one was signing the kill Alexander Walker, um, the wing from Minnesota. Um, you know, and as you know, if you watch the NBA, no, the conference finals, uh, you know, the cousin of, you know, Shay Alexander, you know, Se Gil just Alexander, I should say. They’re cousins, by the way, if you didn’t know. Uh, Naw and SGA. So, you get him. He’s a wing. He’s a versatile uh, defender. He can score, you know, he he can pretty much he’s one of those Swiss Army knife type of guys. Um, versatile. He can, you know, he has some playmaking ability. He can put the ball in the basket. He can score. Like he he can do a lot of different things on the basketball court. So you got that in uh Nil Alexander Walker. And then you go out and get Luke Canard a one year, I believe a one one year, $11 million deal. Um the kill Alexander Walker was a four-year I forget the um the total number in terms of the money for the contract but um you get those two right. Um so now the roster is shaping out. Okay. Um Caris Levert leaves, Clint Capella leaves. Um Larry Nance leaves. But when you’re looking at this Hawks roster on paper um it doesn’t look it looks pretty good man. It looks pretty good. You got, of course, you got Trey Young. You got Dyson Daniels who was a great great acquisition last um last offseason. Uh defensive uh all first team all defense led the league in steals most improved player of the year. Um you get uh you have Zachary Rishar Zachary Rish. I hope I’m man my bad with these names man. uh first overall pick of course um last NBA draft. Um he he had he was showing some splashes. You know the these guys they got some you know they got some some length. They got outside of Trey Young Dyson Daniels what 6’8. Uh Reashar is what 69 610. Um, and then of course Jaylen Johnson, you know, before he went down uh this past season, man, he he was, you know, close to 20 and 10. So you got him and he was what, 610. Um, and then you add Porzingis, who you would assume would be starting, who is a, you know, 72, 73. So that’s, you know, a lot of, you know, a lot of a lot of length right there for the Hawks. Um, and then when you look at the bench, okay, uh, now you got Kobe Buffkin. I’m not too familiar with his game. I’m not gonna lie. I’m not gonna sit up here and act like, um, I know his exact game, but you have him. Um, like I mentioned, to kill Alexander Walker, you have, um, Luke Canard. Um, you have Mo Gay. Um, and I feel like I’m missing somebody else. Uh oh yeah, you got on who’s a great um he he’s a really good if he’s your backup five, you’re in a good position, right? Um so that’s you know that that’s a solid eight nine guys I just named off right there. Um now maybe they aren’t done yet. Maybe they go out and get another guard. Also Austin, I I named him. So that’s like 10 guys right there. Maybe go out and get another guard um to back up Trey. Do you trust Kobe um to be that, you know, that second guy when Trey needs, you know, uh uh some rest? Um so when you’re looking at it on paper, it’s like, okay, yeah, the Hawks, they they got to they putting themselves in position to, you know, compete. Um, and one thing about the Hawks, man, since 2021 when they made that trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, you would think that the team would be ascending, like um, but that just wasn’t the case over the past few years. Um, guys left like the departure of John Collins. Uh, who else? Who else? You know, the the Jonte Murray era didn’t work out as people thought it would. Um, so you know, it it’s been like 3 to four years where the team has just been, you know, kind of kind of stagnant in a sense and not even stagnant or even taking a decline. Um, last year they traded away DeAndre Hunter um to the Cavs. He he uh looks to have found a home in Cleveland. He’s pretty looks pretty comfortable out there. So um it’s just been pieces they had to, you know, shuffle around to, you know, get to the roster that they have now. And uh one thing I would say, man, their front court, you know, you got Jaylen Johnson, of course, like I mentioned, almost 20 and 10 last year. Um he was playing he’s playing on the uh he was he took his game to the next level. He took his game to the next level last season. But it’s like, can you trust these guys to stay healthy? Um he hasn’t played a full season. And like I said, I’m not expecting guys to, excuse me, play a full season. Um, but I’m talking injuries that, you know, take guys out for this season. And last year, he suffered, I believe, a shoulder injury um that um took him out. And then when you when you mention Porzingis, like yeah, it looks good on paper, but he he was missing games in the playoffs with some type of illness that um we really haven’t the uh I don’t think anybody has really disclosed yet. So um you don’t know what’s going on with Pzingis. Hopefully Jaylen Johnson can stay healthy. Um but like I said, uh on paper it looks good. On paper this looks good. I think when you look at their departures and you look at at their additions, I think the additions, you know, are better than the departures as a whole. Um, and that’s no knock to those guys who, you know, ended up leaving. Um now all this tells me is that you know this is the last in my what I think this is the last you know go around or the last time this might these next two this next year or year and a half is probably going to be not probably but if it doesn’t work out then this will be the last goound for the Trey Young era in my opinion. you know, he’s got two years left on his contract. Um or or is it just one year? I think next year he has a player option. Yeah, I think Yeah, it’s like Yeah, next year he has a player option. Um and then, you know, the following year, I believe he comes he becomes an unrestricted free agent. So, he’s on an expiring deal. Um, so this is I feel like this is the last, you know, shot that the Hawks are going to take to really, you know, try to win with a Trey Young le team. You know, like I mentioned 2021 and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals since then. Haven’t really made uh noise in the Eastern Conference. So that’s that’s that’s what it’s going to look like that they’re not going all in, but it’s like you see them making, you know, these moves to position themselves to compete um in this conference with, you know, uh couple of teams not really looking to be in contention. You look at the, you know, the reigning Eastern Conference champs, the Indian the Indiana Pac, I about to say Indianapolis Colts, the Indiana Pacers. um you know with with Hallebran going down with that Achilles and then um Miles Turner uh signing with the uh Bucks. So that team on paper, you know, who do they really had? Like not saying like who did you don’t expect them to compete, you know, for the East, right? And then you’re looking at Boston, you lose JT, the team gets reshuffled. You know, Porzingis is now in the Hogs. Drew Holiday is what? Trailblazers. And then Yeah. So that team is being reshuffled. So the East, you know, those teams who, you know, may have played the background last season, it’s like, “Oh, we got we got a chance now. We got a chance.” And the Hawks have made moves. I don’t knock the Hawks at all. I think when you’re trying to, you know, take that next step. You got to, you know, do what you think is right. And I I I personally I like these signings. Um I like the the moves that they made. I just, you know, you you if you’re a Hawks fan, if you’re that organization, you just, you know, pray those those front court guys can just, you know, stay healthy. But we’ll just have to wait and see. Those are my thoughts in the comments. Let me know yours.
Atlanta Hawks have been busy this offseason, acquiring Porzingis and signing Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Trae Young era close to the end? Can the team stay healthy and be legitimate competitors in the Eastern Conference? Let’s Discuss!
#atlantahawks #nbafreeagency
