This Atlanta Hawks Offseason Will Reveal Everything…

This Atlanta Hawks Offseason Will Reveal Everything…

What is up fellow sickos? The postmortem train rolls on. The Atlanta Hawks Grant, I’ll take them I’ll take uh us through their offseason vitals. Over 35 million below the tax if they renounce the rights to Clink Capella, Larry Nance Jr. and Caris Levert. Closer to like 10 to 15 million below the tax if they carry Levert’s hold, which is almost $25 million. I would assume he ends up costing less. So like they’ll have more flexibility if he’s signing for less than $25 million a year and staying. The moral of this story is they should be able to access the full non-t taxpayer level if they want to, but they’re also a team that we know is not going to pay the tax. So, their room, it’s not just, oh, how much room do they have beneath the First Apron, which you’re hardcapped at if you use the non taxpayer mid level. It’s more so, can they stay under the tax and have access to that tool? They probably can, but that’ll be fascinating. Also fascinating, Trey Young extension eligible, four years, 228, 29.6 6 million, whatever the number is, he can sign. Also, Dyson Daniels, rookie scale extension eligible. And finally, and most importantly, uh, well, the one, they’re still looking for a lead basketball executive as we record this, but two, they can trade up to, I think it’ll end up being five first round picks, even with the way the San Antonio commitment shake out. They have that 2027 selection coming over from it’s going to be the that’s the Pelicans or the Bucks that it’ll come from. So, they have that and they can trade their own first in 29 and 2031, though I certainly would not advocate in favor of them doing so. How are you feeling about these Hawks entering the offseason? Well, I think the the rise of some of their youth leaves me a little conflicted. Um because and certainly like I’ve been team it’s time to trade Trey Young for like probably way. Yeah. Like for most of his career, I guess. Um, and and now it’s kind of like, well, part of it is just the trade landscape in general, but I’m not I’m less I’m less glued to that idea, but to get to the younger players point, it’s like I mean, Rhys was as advertised or slightly better. I think Daniels had the the had a breakthrough year. Um, Tyson Daniels, right? And a Kong Woo took over the starting job. Um, he’s a little old. He’s 24, so he’s not like the the full-on youth brigade, but he’s like young enough and he’s just on his second contract that he’s part of that. And Jaylen Johnson, who knows how big this year’s leap would have been if he’d stayed healthy. Like signs were looking pretty good. So, like I I I don’t know. Like I weirdly for the more so than in any of the last handful of offseasons for for the Hawks, I’m kind of like I think I kind of like what they have for the most part and I don’t don’t love a big swing and if they can just kind of trust the youth to develop, I think they’re a playoff team next year. Um so like I I don’t know that certainly we can get into like what their options are, what they should do, how they should operate relative to the cap and the tax line and all that stuff, but like I don’t know. Do you feel that way or are you does Trey sort of now st stick out like a sore thumb more than he used to or like where are you in general? I don’t I think I mostly agree with you. He doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb to me. If he was I this I would say if he’s willing to sign the extension I might just offer it to him. But I’ve also given a lot of thought to is he could it be him? I think Jiren Jackson Jr. will be a good case study of this of our team’s going to start being more selective with who they’re giving these max extensions to and it’s different because Trey Young’s isn’t going to be a super max but like the Mavs didn’t want to pay Luca the regular Max it seemed like basically so how the new front office regime given the direction that they’re going in are do you actually want to max out Trey Young and have him continue to be the focal point I think they need to figure that out independent because we know they’re not going to get their own picks back from San Antonio for him. But I would agree with you that with what we saw from Reese Reese this year and Daniels and Jay Allen Johnson before he got injured again, which is a big can he finish the season healthy a team that can make some real noise in the East. But you do get caught. I I think I’m with you in this sense that if you’re going to decide that you want to sit on Trey Young, I’m kind of sitting on the rest of the roster too and letting it I I would like to see them get different at the five spot. I like on Yeka Kungwu, but you need someone who’s either a younger version of Clink Capella or maybe just a more like even more of a versatile version where he has size but can make more decisions with the ball, maybe operate a little bit from the perimeter in addition to setting screens and, you know, being a target for Young on the pick and roll. If they were going to be aggressive or if I had to identify, oh, this is what I want to see them do, they could use some shooting. But I kind of look at the five spot. Again, as much as I like a Kungwu, I am with you in the sense that I’m not doing anything major here. And personally, I don’t even know if I’m trading Trey Young. If there’s someone there’s a Godfather offer out there, but part of the problem for me is you don’t trade a guy just because. Yeah. and and like if you do sign him to that extension, let’s say let’s say he goes the full 4229ish, is he more tradable, you know, with that level of security or is that like just too scary of a commitment and a team might rather have him for like this year, next year and then who knows what happens with the 26 27 player option? Do you think do you think it’s could the Hawks just sign the deal because they’re like this is like it’s an extreme example of like if the Rockets pick up Van Vleet’s team option, it might just mean they intend to trade him. Oh, that’s interesting. I Yeah, because I I would And also, couldn’t you look at it as how poorly could that deal really age? I I don’t know. I I mean, you just think I think I think it’s implied that Young is going to be like pretty close to what he’s been the last couple years going forward, right? Like he’s not going to fall off a cliff. He should shoot it better for sure. That should be the expectation. So, yeah, it should age should age fairly well. It’s not like he’s he’s a small guard, so there’s that concern, but it’s not like he’s super dependent on like Russell Westbrook athleticism or anything like that. Is there even a team that you think I guess Houston could theoretically be one of them, but that just seems antithetical to what they’re kind of thinking right now. Is there even a team that you think could use Trey Young and then would also be interested him to where maybe that gets the Hawks thinking or if he bristles at maybe they offer him the extension he doesn’t want to sign it. Now that’s when you have to look at moving Trey Young. Yeah. I mean Orlando has to be thrown out there with if you’re going to mention Houston. I mean like the thing is onboarding Trey Young is is like he changes the way that you play on both ends. like that just now you might say that a team like Houston or Orlando can certainly get away like insulate him better defensively but you are just going to become I mean even if you want to credit him for being off the ball a little more this past year like you’re going to be pretty heliocentric like because he’s out there to have the ball a lot and make the pass shoot decision which is like it’s not that long ago that we were all just like yeah I mean if you have Trey Young you’re a top you’re a top seven offense or whatever that just he he’s that Um, I don’t see a reason he can’t get back to that. So, so like I I I would be cognizant of the fact as a Houston, for example, that like this will change a lot if if you bring in someone like this, but I don’t know if I don’t know if you want to overthink it because I like he will address your issue like that’s that will happen for them. I don’t know if he would be the target for me. I want to be clear if I’m Houston, but he he makes more sense in Houston than Orlando to where you don’t want to displace Paulo and France too much from the ball and then pretty much everyone in Houston with the exception of maybe Opera and Shang Good. It’s like yeah, like no, we’re fine displacing them from the ball. Or if you Yeah. Or if you really think Amen Thompson just has like three extra levels to jump as like an onball playmaking type guy and and he makes shots like I’m or or actually I don’t know how you didn’t mention this. Do you really want to bring someone in that’s gonna play over Reed Shepard? That’s why I said Trey Young wouldn’t be my trade target. Like if it’s Devin Booker, there’s still a pathway if you don’t give up Reed Shepard to him blossoming into the role that he was born to assume the Dyson Daniels extension eligibility. What are you What are you paying? He’s not getting the max, so we don’t need to go into what the max number is going to be, but what do you pay this guy? Would Caruso get four for 80? Is that the number around there? I’m not going over that. I mean, maybe you could make the youth argument and like the possible offensive development continuing argument, but like he’s just not a better defender than Caruso, and that’s what you have him out there for more than anything. I would say he has a ton of leverage after winning most improved player. If he get if you get him for $20 million annually, I think you probably have to pounce. I don’t know that number is going to get better. Now, if I’m the team and he says I want four for 100 or something or whatever, like four for 120, whatever it ends up being, then it’s that’s why restricted free agency exists. Get into it and see if the market would and maybe that’s the case for what’s the team when he still doesn’t really like he’s he has that floater. We know what he does defensively. He’s a pretty good passer. Like what is the team that’s going to come out of the woodwork in 2026 with this monster offer, right? and and like he as as much as he did improve and as good as he was on defense like you know Trey Young is one of a handful of guys that’s like all right we have him so we can accommodate Daniels you know what I mean like there his limitations still are there uh may maybe they disappear next year if he’s if this trajectory continues but like he’s not the cleanest fit everywhere as so you can’t I don’t think you can pay him as if he’s a surefire starter on a random team on any team because I just don’t know if that’s I’m not sold on that yet. I think in terms of rookie scale extensions, I don’t know if he’s the most interesting one for me, but I’m going to I’m going be so fascinated to see where the number comes in at or he does feel like because of kind of the ambiguity of what is or what is Atlanta doing here and whoever comes in, they’re like that’s this isn’t like they didn’t value Dyson Daniels the way the Hawks did in the Pelican trade. That was someone else whether it was FE Fields or somebody else in the front office. That was somebody else. So, it does feel like I would expect him to sign an extension, but I also am like I could also see that one leaking into restricted free agency because of the circumstances, right? And the t and the Hawks just like aversion to paying more than they have to and trying to duck the tax and all that stuff. Like they’re I’m sure they’re okay with with I think everybody’s going to operate this way. I really think teams are just going to squeeze guys because there’s just no money out there and I think the landscape’s changing. I agree with you, but I always feel like for some reason there appears to be an exception when it’s even when it’s a non-star and they’re your own free agent kind of like Nicholas Claxton who was giving him four and 100 last year or even this year with Josh Giddy like who is coming in with the there’s one team that has a ton of cap space and we don’t think they’re going to use it on the free agency market. So I I I am curious to see if we start to see the higher profile squeezes where I don’t I guess the Cavs did it with Isaac Aoro a little bit with how long it took him to sign. He did wait. Yeah, that was a while. U so I’m interested. Does that become more commonplace? Yeah, that’s a good question. What do you this changes a great deal depending on what happens with Young, but if we assume that just the base of this team is what they kind of plan on moving forward, do you agree that you want to see something different at center? Is there a bigger need that you’re identifying? Or even maybe I’ll ask this question like what is the not it doesn’t even have to be like this player is a target like what is the ideal big for this roster? Well so I was that’s that’s what I want to focus on. So like a Kongu is making an average of what like 16 over the next four years maybe a little less than that. And I actually really like him. I think he’s improved a lot. I do think the three-point shooting is going to become increasingly a thing for him. Um, but at the same time, I do ag I I guess like if he’s not your starter and you go out and and you’re gonna spend money on someone to start ahead of him, I think you’re like you because good. Like I don’t know where he ranks in starting centers in the league, but like he’s not in the top 10 or anything or top 15 probably, but like he’s a legit starter to me. If you go out and get somebody to play over him, like how much are you paying that guy? And then how comfortable are you with that guy’s salary at center plus a Kongwoo making like high high-end backup center money which is like a cardinal sin of like you just can’t pay backup centers you know anything close to the mid-level or what unless your needs are super specific and you have cheap stuff elsewhere you know so like I almost think they I think a Kong was just going to have to be the guy and and then in if that’s the way it is going forward you can spend a minimum on a backup and and that’s fine and maybe play Jaylen Johnson at some five against certain lineups, but then it’s like if you don’t bring Levert back, then you just need a Levert type because I do still think if you know it’s Bdonovich held it down for a long time. Um they tried it with Dejonte Murray. Levert was pretty you I think you need that type of guy and it might just be LeVvert and you’re going to be able to get him at less than his capold as as you alluded to. But I like their wings. I like their forwards. If you believe in a Kongu, then that really does just leave like the offense first combo guard or or offense first kind of wing type, right? Yeah, I would agree. I guess the center stuff though, I’m just wondering what does the rebounding look like? If it’s Jaylen Johnson and Okungu in the front court, which is why it could be concerning, but maybe to your point then it’s a change of pace big that’s coming off the bench behind a Kungu. It’s not we need our five because a Kungu is really good. good. I do agree with you and he’s super versatile, can make stuff as a playmaker on offense, moves really well on defense. Uh I think Levert is kind of like you don’t want to overpay him, but for the role that it feels like they need like he’s almost kind of maybe you want someone who’s a little bit better of a passer, but like the way he’s for the most part improved as like a shooter and a defender over the past two or three years, it kind of feels like he’s just like, “Yeah, you should resign that guy, right?” like and if you don’t and you try to get cheaper and go find like maybe there’s another Tai Jerome out there like somebody like that that you could realistically give a rotation role to I think you’d have to be pretty confident that like Daniels is going to improve as a playmaker that Jaylen Johnson will continue to improve as a playmaker that uh like Reese adds more layers to his game like so you could get away with that but that would feel like a gamble. I think Levert I think you just kind of at this point we you understand what you’re getting from him and maybe you want somebody with a little more upside, but like you’re I think you’re taking a pretty big risk if you think you’re going to go just find that guy and be able to get him like below market, you know? What is what if they did decide to move Trey Young? Like what is that? What becomes of this? OC I guess they’ve kind of done a lot of their Bogdanovich is gone, DeAndre Hunter is gone. I guess aside from Trey Young, it’s you wouldn’t look at well like this guy needs to go. The only thing would be are you how the person who’s coming in and running in front office. Do they give any thought to well would San Antonio give us our picks back for Jaylen Johnson? Well, I mean if Trey Young that’d be something to consider. Yeah. If Young if Young’s going to go then like well normally you would have said well Capella is gone too but they just never could trade him and now he’s coming off the books. Everybody else is young enough that you could conceivably just be like, “Yeah, we’ll try to grow it around these guys.” Except like Johnson’s already making 30. A Kong was on his second deal. Like you’re probably gonna It’s just It would be hard. I feel like because then don’t you still unless it’s this massive bet on like Daniels and Johnson and Reese. Don’t you need someone to like run the offense again? Like aren’t you just looking for someone who can do some of what Trey used to do? Well, all of what Trey used to do. maybe can play off the ball or like bigger and all of it and more. That’s a bit That’s like when you fire a coach and you have no idea if there’s a better coach out there. You’re just like we can’t do it with this guy. Like that that feels risky. I will say maybe we already talked about this, but of that like John Mar Trey Young challenge trade that I’ve seen floating around. I loathe it for Atlanta. If that’s like the direction they’re headed, it’s no, you stick with and I by just based off where they’re at with their picks and I kind of see the vision of what they’re trying to do around Trey Young. I’m probably keeping Trey Young because it’s just like there’s no as of right now there’s no real upside to not competing in the EES next year. I think they have a good enough roster to where some fussing and fiddling like you said bring back Levert or if you think you can upgrade from him and I would like to see like a different type of big on this roster. Um maybe like Clint Capella but younger would make a lot of sense or can like do better on like catching or decision-m with the ball. I think that you could be like if you told me they were sixth in the top six in the East last year, there’s maybe what two or three teams that are I guess more than that, like three, four that are guaranteed to still be in like that top four mix. Yeah. And like it would feel unambitious because like no, no matter what they did, if they brought back this whole group, we wouldn’t say like I think they’re a top three team in the East. Like they just can’t get there. But like I think they have enough young interesting players and Johnson still fits into this and and Reese Shay certainly does where it’s like it it is unambitious but it’s okay because like from a fan perspective you still have the growth of these young like exciting guys to watch and it’s just easier to deal with a 43 win team if if there’s like if there’s a perception of upside because you have young players that are getting better. I don’t know the I would say if you do if you did get rid of Trey Young the benefit would be oh we could really stress test Zachary Reese’s offensive armory but then I’m also like I think Zachary looked really good on offense this year because he didn’t have to do like by the end of the because he didn’t do that stuff. So you’re like you’re making a really big dice roll like there’s I I think a lot of the times I’m sure I’m guilty of it where it’s we conflate just like this player makes a lot they’re at this point in their career it’s going to hurt the development of the youngsters. I actually really think like I become a big believer in like no like some of these dudes can streamline the development of players really have no business shouldering that type of role even as they’re developing. Yeah, and this is an the Hawks are an example of that I think. All right, that’s going to do it. Thanks everybody for listening, for watching. If you have not already, please remember to rate, review, and subscribe. Uh if you’re watching this on YouTube, give us a thumbs up, leave us a comment there. Join our Discord. Links for that are in the YouTube and podcast description. Tell your friends, tell your enemies. Shouts Frank Millina. Apologies, Jared Allen. [Music]

Dan and Grant discuss how the Atlanta Hawks will approach the 2025 NBA offseason. What move(s) do you want to see them make? Let us know in the comments! Don’t forget to subscribe for more detailed and fun NBA content! CHAPTERS BELOW.

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CHAPTERS⬇️
0:00 – Cap situation + draft picks
1:35 – Where are the Hawks going?
2:58 – Future of Trae Young
6:01 – What is Trae’s value?
8:01 – The Dyson Daniels extension
10:59 – Atlanta’s biggest needs
13:30 – Importance of Caris LeVert
14:32 – What happens if they trade Trae Young?
15:53 – The argument for keeping Trae Young

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