Atlanta Hawks: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

The Atlanta Hawks made some savvy moves through the draft, trades and free agency. What does it all mean for the team heading into the 2018-19 season?

The 2017-18 season did not go well for the Atlanta Hawks, but that was to be expected as they are in the first stages of a massive rebuild. Travis Schlenk was pried from the Golden State Warriors before the season started to become the Hawks’ general manager and he made his mark right away by overhauling parts of the roster last offseason.

The team finished last not only their division, but the entire Eastern Conference with just 24 wins. Their record was the third-worst in the NBA and achieved the fourth-fewest wins in franchise history. They also had the league’s worst attendance record and were a bottom-10 team in points scored and points allowed per game, as well as Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating.

The low marks in all those categories led Schlenk to moving on from head coach Mike Budenholzer despite a .520 winning percentage as head coach over five years. Schlenk then brought in Lloyd Pierce, an assistant from the Philadelphia 76ers during “The Process,” hoping he could help create that same atmosphere and foundation in Atlanta.

Coming into this offseason, the Hawks had a few goals: try to offload Dennis Schroder, a bad contract and a player that no longer desired to play for the Hawks; keep finding younger, talented players in the draft and free agency; and get John Collins with more talent to build a contender once again.

Did they accomplish their goals so far this offseason? Here are three takeaways from the Hawks’ offseason so far.