Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports The first year player looks to make a bigger splash in 2024-25. Seth Lundy wasn’t able to see the floor for the Hawks a ton this past season, but he represents a couple of key focuses for the new coaching and development regime here. It’s sometimes cliche to put try to put players’ play styles in neat little boxes, but Lundy is everything you would want in a ‘3-and-D’ wing. He’s unbothered about catching and shooting – equally so with a hand in his face versus left wide open – and is always hustling and making plays on the defensive end. Lundy was drafted in the se ..read more

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images The rook showed some promise in 2023-24. As the Hawks continued their emphasis on developing their young players, Kobe Bufkin was the latest to benefit from the plan. Bufkin’s first time on the court was for the Hawks’ Summer League team, and though he showed flashes of potential on both sides of the ball, it was evident there were some things that he still needed to work on. Bufkin’s ability to get to his mid-range shot was a bright spot, and his vision on the court was impressive as well, but at times his shot wasn't falling, and so he'd go on col ..read more

Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images Gueye’s tantalizing blend of size and skill make him an exciting player to watch develop over the next few seasons. Despite being bitten by the injury bug for the majority of his rookie year, it’s hard not to get excited about the flashes of potential that Hawks rookie, Mouhamed Gueye, showed in the limited amount of time he was on the floor during the 2023-24 season. The 39th overall pick in last year’s draft, Atlanta acquired Gueye in a draft-night deal with the Celtics, they and inked him to a 4-year/$7.6 million contract* shortly after the tr ..read more

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports The Atlanta Hawks once again landed in the play-in tournament, though the sights were set much higher ahead of the season, especially for Trae Young. As he said himself in his exit interview, no one had higher expectations than him. Young finished the season only having played 54 games, the lowest mark of his career. While fans were left with a sour taste in the final play-in game versus the Chicago Bulls, a large step back reveals what was another remarkable season for the 25-year-old face of the franchise. Young finished the season with averages of 25.7 points, 1 ..read more

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images A late addition in 2022-23, Garrison Mathews elevated his game this season in Atlanta. When the final buzzer sounded on the 2022-23 Atlanta Hawks regular season — a throwaway game against the Boston Celtics — despite 19 points from Atlanta Hawks wingman Garrison Mathews, I came away with the feeling that Mathews hadn’t shown the flashes I thought he was capable of after joining Atlanta late in the season in a February trade with the Houston Rockets. I had hoped that Mathews would rejoin the team in 2023-24 to show what he was really capable of. Sure enough, th ..read more

James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports Another day, another batch of trade rumors. As we dive headfirst into an uncertain offseason for the Atlanta Hawks, one things is sure to be constant: trade rumors. It’s been no secret that the Hawks find themselves in the center of trade talk once again after past couple of trade deadlines, and this spring is no different. With Atlanta looking to improve upon a disappointing 36-46 finish, other teams like the Phoenix Suns may be looking to do the same after they were quietly escorted from the first round of the playoffs in a humiliating sweep to the Minnesota ..read more

Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images Windler provided a big shooting injection down the stretch of the 2023-24 season. It’s rare you see a 27-year-old journeyman on a two-way contract, but Dylan Windler has never quite walked the normal NBA career path. Windler was drafted out of Belmont in 2019 with the 26th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a rookie year injury that ended his season, he spent most of his rookie contract bouncing between the Cavs and their G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. After two-way stints with the Knicks and the Lakers earlier this season, a ..read more

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images Forrest wasn’t always called upon, but he usually provided a steady presence. There are some players in the NBA whom coaches know they can depend upon, and in some of these cases the players may eventually follow their coach to their new respective teams. Such is this level of trust and familiarity to embody (whether it’s on or off the court) what it is you, as a coach, wish to run. Famously, Taj Gibson and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau have united and reunited on multiple occasions for three different teams. Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder has a similar le ..read more

Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images Explaining why Vit Krejci was kept on a two-way contract and more. As we transition into the offseason, the franchise will have to answer some unsettling questions about the disappointing performance this past season. Despite ostensibly being set up to grab an Eastern Conference playoff spot over the past few year, in 2023-24 they were repeatedly beset by defensive collapses and untimely injuries to key members. It’s not a stretch to say an early exit in the Play-In Tournament was not anyone’s goal. And so, the Hawks will have to consider every player ..read more

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images A long offseason is here. After going all in to bring Dejounte Murray from San Antonio to Atlanta in the summer of 2022, the franchise has now reached an ominous crossroads. Murray was supposed to pair with Trae Young in the backcourt to give the Hawks a dangerous outlet when teams key in on Young. Additionally, his defensive reputation as disrupter should have been a valuable addition as well. Two seasons later, it’s clear that the sending out three first-round picks — two of them unprotected — and the rights to a pick swap for the slender guard ha ..read more