As a Hawks fan, I’m torn on what direction my ball club is heading to, but I’m not giving up on Atlanta. This was a team that once made 11 consecutive playoff appearances behind Larry Drew and Mike Budenholzer. Management since then has either given up or cut ties with a long list of talented players:
Tim Hardaway -> New York
Al Horford -> Boston
Paul Millsap -> Denver
Kyle Korver -> Cleveland
Demarre Carroll -> Toronto -> Brooklyn
Jeff Teague -> Indiana -> Minnesota
Dwight Howard -> Charlotte
The motive behind this is clear to most. A full rebuild is ahead. I didn’t understand where they were going with this until I realized that clearing cap room was their number one priority. Atlanta wants to find the next up-and-coming star to be the franchise piece for the Hawks. It could take years to find, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. A team who once was a force in the East has now made the transition into being one of the worst teams in the league. Trust me, it breaks my heart to say those words.
More problems persist with Atlanta as guard Dennis Schröder has reportedly stated that he’s open to a trade. He spoke about his future at a press conference in Germany according to NBC sports and spoke highly of being traded to either the Pacers and Bucks. “Those are the two teams where you can say the organization is going in the right direction,” Schröder said.
Teammates Taurean Prince and Dennis Schröder seemed to be sub-tweeting each other:
Soldiers actin’ like Generals smh….
— ⛓ Forever Humble (@taureanprince) May 16, 2018
Accomplish something 1st before you talk ! Smh 😉
— Dennis Schröder (@DennisMike93) May 16, 2018
I don’t even want to get into this, but the shade is real in Georgia!
With everything going downhill, the Hawks parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer who’s now taking his talents to Milwaukee. It’s no surprise Schröder wants out of Atlanta. The two have such a close relationship, and Bud put a lot of trust into the 6’1″ point guard.
With a new HC and a complete rebuild in place, the franchise player will still be up in the air heading into next season. Will the Hawks keep Schröder? At this point, that’s unknown. Atlanta has the third overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and landing a guy like Marvin Bagley could be the move to jump-start the rebuild.
In order for the Hawks to move forward this offseason, they need to analyze and work out as many players before the draft as possible. Sure Bagley is a dominant forward, but do they need him? Atlanta also will reportedly pass on projected #1 pick Luka Doncic if he falls, stating that they want a traditional American backcourt.
The negativity has been piling up for this ball club, but something to keep in mind is the promising talent from young guns like Taurean Prince and John Collins. Those are two guys the Hawks can really benefit from. The future is up in the air for Atlanta.
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