[The following submission is from the Atlanta Hawks, run by students in the mock deadline practicum at the SBC Las Vegas Immersive.]

Assignment: Atlanta Hawks

Team Members: Jake Wolf, Hayden Nichols, Harp Aujla, David Ahlf, Max Mottonen, Alexis Cohen

The Sports Business Classroom Atlanta Hawks began by examining our roster, placing each player in tiers. We also canvassed the league to gauge their value externally.

Our main strengths were transition efficiency and advantage creation, as any offense built around Trae Young will yield plenty of open looks due to his creation abilities. One concern was the low turnover rate forced by Atlanta’s defense, which limited the amount of fast-break chances available to this dynamic roster. Young led the league in transition efficiency among players averaging at least one transition point per game last season, but the league’s top transition offense ranked in the bottom 10 for transition frequency.

Defense, in general, was an issue due to Young’s size.  The best way to consistently capitalize on the franchise player’s strengths while concealing his weaknesses was to surround him with four strong defenders.

Another weakness of Atlanta’s roster was a lack of rim pressure, as the team ranked just 24th in shots taken at the rim. The addition of Dejounte Murray helped solve that dilemma since he is among the best finishing guards in the league and a frequent visitor to the rim. 

While the team may not be ready to go all-in for a championship immediately,  a clear window should be available soon after this coming season when the young core will be squarely in their primes. After identifying De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu as members of that core, it was an easy decision to extend Hunter on a four-year contract for $90 million. This deal is on par with the extension given to Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns. We believe the contract should age favorably as the cap rises and two-way wings become even more expensive.

Rather than making a win-now move such as trading for Lu Dort or OG Anunoby, both expensive to acquire, we instead decided to focus on developing players on rookie-scale deals to maximize the team’s chances of contending (both next season and in the future when San Antonio controls the Hawks’ draft capital). The goal through the deadline was to get the team out of the luxury tax for this season while acquiring young players that fit well with our elite backcourt.

 An additional goal for the organization was to add high-upside defenders that improved the team’s playoff scheme versatility, especially those who could help the 6’8″ Okongwu on the boards. To that end, we acquired Usman Garuba from the Houston Rockets in a deal that got us under the tax. Garuba (No. 23 in 2021) can switch onto perimeter players and improved Houston’s defensive rebounding rate by 6.1 percent last season, which ranked in the 98th percentile among big men.

 With Garuba in the fold, we hoped to add one more perimeter defender and identified Devin Vassell as a top target. Vassell is a young player with two-way upside as just one of four players under 22 years old to average at least five three-point attempts and one steal per game last season, joining Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Cade Cunningham. 

 We had to give up AJ Griffin ( who we just drafted at No. 16) and a protected first-round pick for Vassell, but also got back another highly-touted prospect in Blake Wesley (No. 25). Vassell can develop into a player that defends at the point of attack while playing as an off-ball guard– well worth the price, given his talent and rookie-scale contract. An added benefit was additional breathing room under the tax.

The result was a rotation made up of young players, none with more experience than Clint Capela’s eight years in the league. This roster would be well-positioned to be a top-four team in the Eastern Conference this season before taking another step forward next year as the core continues to develop.

Trade 1

  • Atlanta received: Usman Garuba, and Daishen Nix.
  • Houston received: Mo Harkless and a 2025 second-rounder via the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Trade 2

  • Atlanta received Devin Vassell, Blake Wesley and a 2029 second-rounder.
  • San Antonio received: Justin Holiday, AJ Griffin and a 2023 first-rounder (top-10 protected else conveys as two 2026 second-rounders, one via the Golden State Warriors).

Other

  • Extended De’Andre Hunter to $90 million over four additional years.
  • Signed Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract.

Final Roster

Guards: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Aaron Holiday, Blake Wesley, Sharife Cooper

Forwards: De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, Devin Vassell, Jalen Johnson, Chaundee Brown

Bigs: Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, Usman Garuba, Frank Kaminsky

— Jake Wolf