For both the Knicks and Nets, the plan to remake their rosters over the following two summers – this year for the Knicks, next for the Nets – will rely heavily on utilizing free agency. That has led to endless speculation about big names from Marc Gasol to LaMarcus Aldridge to Kevin Durant.
But for those who think the only way to free-agency success is landing a superstar or two to turn the franchise around, the Hawks offer an alternative that has worked out quite well for them.
That's not to say the Hawks, who have been locked in for quite some time as the Eastern Conference's top seed, didn't chase superstars over the past few years. They tried signing Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony over the past couple summers, only to be rebuffed each time.
So the Hawks went a different route, spreading their money around to a variety of quality players that fit the vision of what general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Budenhozler – two of the many disciples from the Spurs organization to spread around the NBA over the past decade.
The Hawks chose this strategy because the star path – the more assured route to success – wasn't available. Instead they had to go about things in a different way, scouring the market for bargains and capitalizing on inefficiencies. That has led to a Hawks roster featuring only one player – Al Horford – making more than $12 million a year.
Paul Millsap and Al HorfordPhoto: Getty Imagesd
The Hawks have traded having a roster top-heavy with star-level players – like, say, the Clippers – for a deeper team that goes at least nine or 10 deep in quality NBA players, all of whom buy into the way the team wants to play, with 3-point shooting at every position.
As a result, the Hawks have the second-most wins in the NBA.
What's even more impressive is the Hawks have plenty of future flexibility, as well. Thanks to signing so many players to short-term deals, they have a little under $30 million in cap space this summer – though they'll have to make a decision on All-Star forward Paul Millsap, who will be a free agent – and currently have only $17 million on the books for the summer of 2016 when the new television contract kicks in.
The Hawks, by being smart and shopping for bargains, put themselves in a position not only to be competitive now, but in the future, as well. If the Nets and Knicks fail to land their top targets the next two summers, they would be wise to follow a similar path.
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