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The Atlanta Hawks' first order of business was to remove Nate McMillan's interim head coach tag. Now, McMillan is officially the head coach of the team. It sounds trivial but this is a great move and not just a symbolic one.
The 2021-22 NBA season will mark McMillan's first full season as the Hawks coach. As of writing, he's probably in his lab, concocting all sorts of offensive and defensive packages that aim to maximize the talents of his players. In his two decades as a coach, last year was actually the first time he made the Conference Finals. Before that, his deepest run was a trip to the Conference Semifinals in 2005. It's a long time coming. But McMillan may have finally found the perfect team that fits his coaching style.
Now, off to the player signings. They inked John Collins to a five-year, $125 million deal. For those not following the Hawks, it seems commonsensical to offer a hefty contract to one of the team's key pieces. Collins has done very well in his first four years in the league. However, Collins was somewhat expected to walk away after this season. A lot of it has to do with the dip in Collins' numbers, mainly because of the additions of Bogdan Bogdanović and Danilo Gallinari. Collins wanted a hefty contract but analysts felt that he wasn't going to get it. From the looks of it, winning solve everything. And the Hawks front office have common sense. Securing Collins is probably the best move they made.
The Hawks also signed Trae Young to a five-year, $207 million contract extension. Like the Nate McMillan move, this is pretty much a no-brainer. The team was on the verge of becoming the league's laughing stock after they agreed to trade Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks. However, from the looks of it, it seems that the Hawks had it all planned all along. They knew Young could be a serious superstar in this league. Now, no one's laughing at the Hawks right now. There's only fear, especially from the New York Knicks.
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The Hawks also re-signed Lou Williams and Solomon Hill. These were two veterans they got at the trade deadline last season. These re-signings make it clear that the team wants their roster from last year's successful campaign intact. As such, there were no crazy additions. They know what Williams and Hill brought to the team last season. They want to further build on that. Perhaps Gorgui Deng, whom they signed to a one-year $4 million deal was the one who raised a few eyebrows. He'll serve as the backup for Clint Capela. While he has all the tools to play this role, much the much more skilled big man like JaVale McGee was available during that time but the Hawks passed on him.
Overall, it was a pretty good offseason for the Hawks. We were definitely caught off guard with their deep playoff run amid finishing fifth in the East. Before we forget, they made a coaching change after that horrendous 14-20 start. After which, they started piling up the victories. As such, last season could just be a rehearsal of what's to come. Expecting the Hawks to become perennial playoff contenders in the next few years is a wise prediction. It won't be a surprise if they lift that Larry O'Brien trophy either.
Offseason grade: A+
