2020 NBA Free Agency
With over $50M in cap space to play around with this offseason, GM Travis Schlenk and the Hawks’ front office decided to be extremely aggressive and get as much firepower as they could in a weak free agency class. The Hawks did just that and were able to bring in Danilo Gallinari (3yr/$61.5M), Bogdan Bogdanovic (4yr/$72M), Rajon Rondo (2yr/15M), Kris Dunn (2yr/$4.77M) and Solomon Hill (1yr/$2.2M).
Danilo Gallinari was one of the most fought over free agents this offseason and should provide immediate scoring to a perimeter oriented Hawks team. Gallinari is one of those guys who has never received the respect he deserves around the league. Earlier in his career, the Italian forward faced a lot of injuries, especially to his knees and as a result, buried him in a lot of team’s depth charts.
Since the 2015-16 NBA season, Gallinari has averaged under 18.0 points/game just once and is coming off a fantastic season with the OKC Thunder. In 62 games last season, Gallinari shot 43.8% from the floor and 40.5% from deep, scoring on average 18.7 points per game. With John Collins starting at the power-forward position for Atlanta, the Hawks will likely move the veteran forward to the wing where he can do what he does best: catch and shoot three-pointers.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was the last player the Hawks signed this offseason and there has been a lot of headlines about Bogdanovic over the weeks. Before the 2020 NBA Draft, the Bucks and Kings had a deal in place to send the 28-year old shooting guard to Milwaukee, giving Giannis a legit threat on the perimeter. Ultimately, this deal fell through because Bogdanovic was a restricted free-agent and never agreed to a sign-and-trade.
As a result, Bogdanovic hit the open market and signed a 4-year, $72M offer sheet with the Atlanta Hawks. The Kings mulled over the decision on whether or not to match this offer and decided that it was in the best interest of the organization to not be tied down to that kind of contract for the next four years and decided to let Bogdanovic sign with the Hawks. The Serbian guard will fit right in with the Hawks system as he is a career 37.2% three-point shooter.
Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn, and Solomon Hill will fill out the Hawks’ rotation and bench and be key pieces to the puzzle if they are going to make a push for the playoffs this season. Rondo was a key contributor to the Lakers last season and helped them win the 2020 NBA Finals. The Hawks will not only get a floor general in Rondo but a reliable defensive option in their second-unit, who is also a threat to score as he shot 40.0% from deep in the playoffs last season.
Kris Dunn had a lot of expectations put on him with the Chicago Bulls but after being drafted No. 5 overall in 2016, Dunn never panned out the way the Bulls had hoped. He is a great defender, but never really could be an impactful floor general and point guard. Behind Trae Young and Rajon Rondo, Dunn can learn a lot and be an impact player for Atlanta on the defensive side of things.
Solomon Hill joins the Hawks on a veteran’s minimum contract for this upcoming season and will be nothing more than a veteran presence. Unless the Hawks are dealing with an abundance of injuries, it is hard to believe that Hill would be a part of the main rotation for the Hawks, but carries a lot of leadership qualities and experiences with him. He has always been a decent bench player everywhere he has gone and looks to do the same with a young Hawks team.
