Hawks’ rapid rebuild around Trae Young comes full circle, so is he still Atlanta’s future? - The Athletic

For years, Trae Young's ball dominance and defensive limitations fueled persistent trade rumors, making building a contender around him difficult for the Atlanta Hawks. Despite reaching the Eastern Conference Finals with him before, finding a consistent formula proved challenging. However, after a significant yearlong roster overhaul, the Hawks now believe they have a team optimized to support Young's evolved game.

The transformation began last season under then-GM Landry Fields, who traded Dejounte Murray for Dyson Daniels (this year's Most Improved Player) and signed Jalen Johnson to a team-friendly extension. New GM Onsi Saleh continued the rebuild this offseason. At the start of free agency, Atlanta reportedly acquired defensive wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker via sign-and-trade with Minnesota and agreed to sign sharpshooter Luke Kennard, adding to the recent trade acquisition of star center Kristaps Porziņģis.

This sets up a projected opening night lineup of Young, Daniels, last year's No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, Johnson, and Porziņģis. The bench features Onyeka Okongwu (who showed promise as a starter last season), Alexander-Walker, Kennard, rookie big Asa Newell, backup point guard Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye, and Vit Krejci.

Last season showed potential early; the Hawks were on a 44-win pace at the halfway mark before Johnson's season-ending shoulder injury in January. They finished 40-42 and lost in the Play-In Tournament to Miami, with young players showing development. Offensively, hampered by poor shooting (only DeAndre Hunter shot above league average from 3), coach Quin Snyder implemented a cutting/transition-heavy system, resulting in the NBA's 14th-ranked offense pre-injury.

The acquisition of Porziņģis is pivotal, drastically changing the offensive outlook. He's potentially the best player Young has played with, capable of accentuating each other's strengths. Coming off a career-best shooting season (41.2% on 6 threes per game), Porziņģis provides elite spacing and pick-and-roll/pop threat that Clint Capela and Okongwu lacked. This pulls defenses out of the paint, creating driving lanes for wings. He also offers a post-up option to relieve pressure on creators.

While Porziņģis struggled in the playoffs due to illness, he returned to form after an ankle injury. His expiring contract allows the Hawks to manage his minutes carefully, utilizing Okongwu (considered possibly the league's best backup big) and developing Newell, while keeping Johnson's long-term path to starting open. This depth and fit aim to push the Hawks back towards contention.