NBA Media Describes The Hawks Offseason as "Idling"

Is it fair to describe the Hawks' offseason as static given the moves that they made?

Apr 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks' offseason has largely come and gone, but it was certainly eventful. They traded away Dejounte Murray and got a package that included Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr. They shockingly won the draft lottery and ended up picking French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick. There are a wide variety of opinions on how their off-season went, but it would be difficult to argue that the Hawks are not going to look significantly different last season.

Some NBA analysts are not convinced. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report had this to say when describing every NBA team's offseason with one word:

"Atlanta Hawks: Idling"

"The Atlanta Hawks sent significant draft currency to the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Dejounte Murray, who they recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to recoup some of what was lost.
The team did luck into the No. 1 overall pick to draft Zaccharie Risacher, but is the 19-year-old wing ready to help the team win around Trae Young? Identifying direction is difficult, as the Hawks seem to be running in place."

Personally, I do not agree with this perspective on the Hawks' moves. I would argue that the Hawks have done the exact opposite of "idling" over the past two seasons. They made a big, win-now trade to get Murray from San Antonio in the first place. Giving up their 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick swap and 2027 first-round pick was an overpay at the time and it ended up being a bigger one than the front office had planned for.

When the fit between Murray and Young did not work, they instead pivoted in a new direction. If they were truly "idling", they would have insisted on making this partnership work for one more season and placed a lot of faith in the addition of Risacher. They instead got players that occupy smaller, useful roles on the roster. Are Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr going to play a massive role in elevating the Hawks past the first round? The likely answer is no. However, both will fill useful roles on the roster. In particular, Daniels is a player who has upside as an effective two-way wing. Even though he's currently slated as the third-string center, Nance is a smart veteran who offers good passing and respectable shooting. Daniels should bolster the defense while Nance gives the Hawks injury insurance (something that should never be discounted).

I do agree with Pincus's statement that identifying the direction of the Hawks is confusing. However, I think the reason it is difficult to identify their direction is because they are in a very unique situation. The Hawks have a star point guard who is entering his prime. It is easy to forget that Young is only 26 years old with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance as the primary option under his belt. However, the Hawks do not control their picks for the next three years. Therefore, they are not currently set up to take advantage of Young's prime years from his age-27 to his age-29 season.

That's to say nothing of the discourse over whether the Hawks can win a championship with Young as their primary option. Him being a small point guard that lacks a high-level roster around him is the main reason why people view the Hawks as mediocre. Still, I'd argue that this offseason represents perhaps their most intelligent series of moves to improve the roster around Young.

Rather than getting someone to take touches away from Young, they drafted someone who benefits off of his gravity in Zaccharie Risacher. The Hawks are undoubtedly hoping Risacher becomes more of a creator, but if he ends up being a great off-ball wing who can play good defense and hit threes, that would be a reasonably successful outcome for Atlanta. In both France and Summer League, Risacher showed a comfort with working off of others.

By trading Murray, the Hawks also opened up more touches for Jalen Johnson. I do think funneling touches away from Young and through Johnson will ultimately end up being more successful than taking touches from Young and giving them to Murray. Johnson puts tons of pressure on the rim as a driver - he'll have even more opportunities to do that. If he can force defenses to pay more attention to him, it frees Young up to capitalize with a well-timed three pointer. Johnson and Young have fundamentally different playstyles that complement each other better than the overlapping style of Young and Murray.

If I was to summarize the offseason for the Hawks, I'd describe it as "salvage". They are making the best of a mistake that they made and doing what they can to improve the roster in a responsible way. That does not mean all of their moves have been without criticism. The Risacher pick is not without its clear risks. However, the Hawks have certainly tried to put a different and more effective roster on the court in 2024-25.

Whether it works remains to be seen.