The Atlanta Hawks were unable to duplicate their feat during the 2015-16 NBA season despite having stars like Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap around. Howard was sent to the Charlotte Hornets and now it looks like Millsap is halfway out the door.
The latest on Millsap is that he has verbally agreed to take his act to the Denver Nuggets, agreeing to a three-year $90 million deal.
Though it has yet to be made official, the Hawks are looking more like a team in rebuilding mode unless general manager Travis Schlenk has something diabolical planned.
No promise of a max contract
For the 2017 NBA Free Agency, the money on the table will make the difference. On the part of Millsap, the Hawks had no intention of giving Millsap a max contract. Schlenk had plans to sign a power forward but the move hints that he may be looking at someone else, probably younger and more explosive than the 32-year-old all-star.
The point here is that Atlanta is taking its sweet time figuring out who will fill that power forward slot.
The only notable names left on the roster are Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore. As for the power forward position, it seems that the Hawks are trying to avoid the max contract route, meaning they may be amply budgeting the players who will suit up for them next season.
Thabo Sefolosha, Kris Humphries and Ersan Ilyasova may be candidates though it seems a bit off to see them getting max deals. There are plenty of players the Hawks can go after. So far, however, no high-profile name has been linked to their cause.
Rebuilding on a budget
With the Hawks applying a wait-and-see approach, one cannot help but look at the risks of using a lackadaisical approach in NBA Free Agency. They could go after the slightly lower names, players who would be prioritizing playing time over money.
This could make sense considering the Hawks were never given a chance before that run they had back in 2015-16. Millsap stood out and blended well with Al Horford, DeMarre Carroll, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Bazemore under the watch of coach Michael Budenholzer. Could Atlanta be turning to lesser-known names to make a similar run?
Right now, the waiting game has been throwing off critics on what Atlanta has up its sleeve. It could be a conservative approach that could lead to something or nothing. With Millsap likely good as gone, the future of the Hawks seems sketchy.
The only thing sure is that they are rebuilding with a new face. Right now, it is shaping up to be a major overhaul which possibly points to seeing an entirely different Hawks quintet.