The Atlanta Hawks endured an up-and-down season in 2022-23. After completing a “win now” trade with the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Dejounte Murray in July, the Hawks struggled to live up to expectations, eventually moving on from president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk and head coach Nate McMillan during the regular season.
From there, the Hawks made a splashy head coaching hire with Quin Snyder and finished with a 41-41 record that left no one satisfied. Atlanta’s offense did find its footing by the end of the campaign, scoring at a top-five level after the All-Star break, and the Hawks continued that impressive offensive run in pushing the Boston Celtics to six games in the first round.
Atlanta’s roster remains centered on star point guard Trae Young, with Murray sitting in the No. 2 role and running the ship when Young is off the floor. The Hawks are also financially committed to the frontcourt trio of De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, and Clint Capela, though the youthful trio of AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu could be in line for promotion in the near future. The Hawks also have decisions to make with regard to the luxury tax for a roster that is already too expensive to justify middling results.
Roster Needs: Perimeter defense, three-point shooting, consolidation
Kobe Bufkin (No. 15 overall), A-: It felt as if Atlanta might once again benefit from medical questions to nab a falling prospect like Cam Whitmore, but Bufkin is a very strong pick for the Hawks. He checks a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor with shooting guard size and point guard skills. Bufkin has strong basketball feel and he is already a quality defender that could continue to improve as he gets stronger.
2023 Free Agents:
Aaron Holiday (UFA)
Trent Forrest (Two-Way)
Roster:
Trae Young
Dejounte Murray
De’Andre Hunter
John Collins
Clint Capela
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Saddiq Bey
Onyeka Okongwu
AJ Griffin
Jalen Johnson
Bruno Fernando (non-guaranteed)
Garrison Mathews (non-guaranteed)
Vit Krejci (non-guaranteed)
Tyrese Martin (non-guaranteed)
