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The Atlanta Hawks 2022-23 NBA season was the textbook definition of mediocre. The Hawks finished the regular season with a mediocre 41-41 record, just the seventh-best in the Eastern Conference. And after winning their first play-in game against the Miami Heat to secure the seventh seed in the East, the Hawks lost to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics in six games in the first round of the postseason.
The series with Boston went six games, but it didn't feel like that close of a series. Some luck certainly factored into Atlanta forcing a Game 6 in the Boston series, as the Celtics collectively laid an egg in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 5 after being in control for much of the contest.
But despite the Atlanta Hawks' disappointing season, a few shrewd free-agent moves here and there could help them re-establish themselves as title contenders like they were in 2021 when they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. With all of that said, let's take a look at the two best Hawks targets in free agency after the 2023 NBA Draft:
2 best Hawks targets in free agency after 2023 NBA Draft
Christian Wood
Now that John Collins is a member of the Utah Jazz, the Atlanta Hawks are short on big men who can stretch the floor. Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu are both very good NBA centers in their own right, but they're also non-threats to score from behind the arc, or anywhere besides the rim, for that matter. So, the Hawks would be wise to sign a stretch four or five in free agency this summer, and one name who makes a lot of sense is Dallas Mavericks big man Christian Wood.
Wood hasn't always been a three-point shooter, but over the last few seasons, he's really honed that part of his game. And he enjoyed one of the better three-point shooting years of his career with the Mavericks this season. Wood converted 37.6% of his long-range shots on 4.2 attempts per game, an impressive blend of usage and efficiency for a player of his stature.
While Christian Wood's three-point shooting chops may be his most valuable skill at this juncture, he brings more to the table on offense besides just floor-spacing. He's also a solid offensive rebounder (averaged 1.3 offensive rebounds per game this season) and facilitator (averaged 1.8 assists).
Grant Williams
Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is another floor-spacing big man who makes sense as a free-agent target. The soon-to-be restricted free agent shot 39.5% from three-point range across 79 appearances with the Celtics in the 2022-23 campaign.
But unlike Wood, Williams is a defensive-minded player. He's a versatile and switchable defender who made life difficult for guards, wings, and bigs in Boston's switch-heavy defensive scheme. Williams possesses the foot speed to stick with most wings and guards on the perimeter and the bulk to battle with forwards in the post.
Williams was an instrumental piece on a Celtics team that was within minutes of the NBA Finals, though, and so there's a good chance that the Celtics want to keep him.
At this juncture, it's unclear who the Atlanta Hawks will target in free agency this summer. But what's already abundantly clear is that they should target Dallas Mavericks big Christian Wood and Boston Celtics big Grant Williams.
