Everyone knows this NBA offseason is going to be crazy and one of the teams it is going to be crucial for is the Atlanta Hawks. They are coming off of another season of losing in the NBA Playoffs. They’re going to have some huge decisions to make.
The main priority they are going to have to take care of is re-signing center Al Horford, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this off season. The Hawks front office will have to decide if they are going to be willing to give him a maximum contract. Horford will be turning 30 years old in June. Paying $100 million is a lot to for someone who is getting up there in age and playing basketball.
The Atlanta Hawks might be looking to rebuild this summer if Al Horford decides to leave the team. The next person that could be on their way out of Atlanta might be Jeff Teague. He is still one of the better point guards in the NBA. There are plenty of teams in the NBA that need a starting point guard. I think Teague still has plenty left in the tank, and he could be a long term solution for any team. Between both Teague and Horford they have been the core nucleus for Atlanta and helping them get to the playoffs six straight seasons. Along with Teague possibly getting traded and Horford being a free agent, also a free agent this offseason is Kent Bazemore, who went from role player to good starter for the Hawks and was a good contributor for them and is only 26 years old.
I think the Hawks are in a really tricky spot. They have a good, solid team but can’t seem to get over the hump from good to true contender. If they let Horford walk and keep Teague, you have a big spot to fill on your team. If you let both Teague and Horford walk, you are letting go of two solid NBA starters and basically going into rebuilding mode after making the playoffs again. It seems, though, the Hawks want to make young point guard, Dennis Schroder, their starting point guard. Schroder has been a really good backup and throughout this season and been taking minutes away from Teague.
If it was up to me, I would trade Teague away and re-sign Horford. Horford still has enough in the tank to contribute and they need to finally hand the keys over to Schroder at the point guard spot. The only problem is Bazemore may have to take a hometown discount and come back if they spend money on Horford. The Hawks currently sit with the 21st pick in the first round and the 44th and 54th pick in the second round of the NBA Draft. They could package both their second round picks together to try and get back into the first round if they wanted to. Either way, this team needs to decide if they want to start fresh and rebuild or stay the same and try to add more to the puzzle.