Phoenix Suns Forward Picked as The "Dream" Free Agent Target For the Atlanta Hawks

What will the Hawks do to reshape their roster this offseason?

Apr 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks are set to have one of the most interesting offseasons of any NBA team in the league. They shockingly won the draft lottery and now hold the top pick in the NBA Draft, they have a decision to make regarding the future of the Trae Young and Dejounte Murray backcourt, and they have to decide the futures of players like Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter. There are going to be a lot of moving parts potentially in Atlanta this offseason and the team could look a lot different when the new season tips off in October.

While most of the conversation about the Hawks has been on trades they could make and who they will take with the No. 1 pick, there has not been a lot of chatter about what they could do in free agency and a lot of that has to with the fact that the Hawks don't have much cap space to work with this offseason. Here is a nice summation of the Hawks's financial situation from ESPN's Bobby Marks:

The Hawks avoided the luxury tax this season, electing to trade starter John Collins last offseason in a salary dump move. This summer, Atlanta once again is pressed not only against the $171 million tax threshold but also the $178.7 million first apron. Including the first pick in the draft, Atlanta has $176 million in salary. Because of the unlikely bonuses of Murray, Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter, they are over the first apron. Barring a trade, the Hawks will exceed the second apron if they re-sign Bey, who tore his left ACL in March. Atlanta will likely tender him a one-year, $8.4 million qualifying offer by June 29, making him a restricted free agent. Atlanta does have some flexibility with the non-guaranteed contracts of Mathews and Bruno Fernando. Atlanta has until June 29 to exercise Mathews' $2.2 million team option and to guarantee Fernando's $2.7 million contract. Because of their finances, the Hawks will only have the veterans minimum exception available to use in free agency. They have a large $23 million trade exception that expires July 7."

With that in mind, there could be some bargain free agent deals to have if Atlanta makes room for them and Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley mentioned Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale as the "dream" free agent for the Hawks this offseason:

"The Atlanta Hawks are projected to have modest spending power this summer. They'll be armed with either the $12.9 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception or the $5.2 million taxpayer MLE, and they'll have a lot of roster questions to answer either way.

Regardless of whether the Hawks decide to keep Trae Young, they need to get better defensively. They ranked 27th in defensive rating and weren't a particularly good three-point shooting team, either (36.4 percent, 17th overall).

Getting a veteran three-and-D wing like Royce O'Neale would be a realistic dream, especially since he'd be taking a pay cut from his $9.5 million salary from 2023-24.

The 30-year-old O'Neale had a plus-13.8 on/off differential with the Phoenix Suns (98th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass). The Suns were 6.5 points per 100 possessions better on defense with O'Neale on the floor. Add in the 37.0 percent that he shot from three last season, and he'd be an ideal free-agent addition for Atlanta."

I think O'Neale would be a good addition to the Hawks because of his defensive versatility and three-point shooting ability. O'Neale also has familiarity with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder from their days together in Utah. One of Atlanta's top goals this offseason should be to get better and more athletic on the defensive end of the floor and O'Neale certainly provides that. He will likely have plenty of suitors though and might not be super cheap.