The Eastern Conference is in chaos and wants to drink soup! The Hawks introduce Platinum + Walker + Kennard. What level can it be in the new season?

The countdown to the new season is 3 days away. Looking back on last season, the Hawks have missed the playoffs for two consecutive years.

The Hawks sent away Dejounte Murray on June 29 last year, in exchange for Nance Jr. (11.2 million expiring contract in the last year) + Dyson Daniels (No. 8 pick in 2022) + Liddell (No. 41 pick in 22) + the Lakers’ first round in 25 + the lower first round pick among the Pelicans and Bucks in 2027 from the Pelicans.

Before the start of last season, the Hawks took the initiative to split the backcourt combination of Trae Young + Murray, declaring the experiment a failure: the two partners played a total of 117 games in two seasons, with 55 wins and 62 losses, with a winning rate of 47%. It took 4 first rounds to introduce Murray, and finally chose to sell at a low price in order to get rid of Murray's four-year 114 million contract.

On the trade deadline in February this year, the Hawks completed two more transactions: sending Bogdan Bogdanovic (3 years and 50 million) to the Clippers in exchange for Mann + Hyland; sending Hunter to the Cavaliers in exchange for LeVert (expired contract) + Niang + 3 second rounds + 2 second round swaps.

The Hawks made cuts in the middle of the season, which is also related to the team's injuries: Jaylen Johnson suffered a severe tear of the left shoulder labrum in January and was reimbursed for the season. The team was missing an all-around playmaking forward who averaged 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. The team suffered a huge loss in combat strength - it suffered an 8-game losing streak in January and was 23-28 before the trade deadline. There was no hope at all.

The biggest gain last season is undoubtedly the rapid growth of Daniels. In the third season of his career, the No. 8 pick in 2022 averaged 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 34.0% (1.1/3.1). He was elected as the league's steal leader + most improved player, ranked second in DPOY selection, and was selected to the All-Defensive Team. The future is promising.

The Hawks finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with 40 wins and 42 losses. They lost to the Magic and Heat in the playoffs and missed the playoffs for two consecutive years. As a 2021 Eastern Conference Finals team, its performance in the past four years has obviously failed to meet expectations in two first rounds and two missed playoffs.

The Hawks sent the 2025 first round, 2027 first round, and 2026 first round swaps to the Spurs in the 2022 Dejounte Murray trade. This also fundamentally determines that they cannot fail in the new season and the 2026-27 season, and must continue to strengthen this summer.

On June 25, the Hawks, Celtics, and Nets conducted a three-party trade. The Hawks sent Niang + Mann + the No. 22 pick in this year's first round, and received Porzinski + a second-round pick.

With Capela switching to the Rockets, the Hawks are in urgent need of reinforcements inside. The team already has Okongwu in the starting lineup. He officially replaced Capela as the starter in January last season. Porzingis and Okongwu (48 of 148 three-pointers last season) both have three-point range. The Hawks also have more options in terms of formation. It is feasible whether the two are on the same court or take turns at the 5th position.

Porzingis' contract expires at RMB 30.73 million next season. He averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in the regular season last season. He shot 41.2% from three-point range and averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game. This is Porzingis in his normal state. His performance declined severely in this year's playoffs, averaging 7.7 points per game and shooting only 15.4% from three-point range. The Celtics ruthlessly chose to deal with his expiring contract.

The Hawks get Porzingis's one-year contract, and they can play it for one year to see the effect. Once Porzingis continues to slump, the Hawks can trade on the expired contract before the February 26 trade deadline. It is easy to deal with and there will be no future risks.

Shooting ability is the focus of the Hawks' reinforcements this summer, and they have signed Walker, Kennard, and Houston to strengthen their strength.

Walker was an important 3D defender on the Timberwolves bench last season. He averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and averaged 38.1% three-point shooting (1.7/4.5) per game. The Hawks did not hesitate to sign and then trade for Walker for 62 million in four years. This 3D defender who does not occupy the ball has greatly strengthened the Hawks' backcourt depth.

The Hawks also gave Kennard a one-year contract worth 11 million. This top shooter averaged 43.3% three-point shooting (1.7/4.0) per game last season, and also sent out 3.3 assists. His space threat perfectly fits Trae Young's pick-and-roll system - squatting in the corner to smoke, the opponent must send someone to carry an ashtray for him.

The Hawks also signed 203-cm forward Caleb Huenstein on a two-way contract. He played for the Magic last season and averaged 40% of his three-pointers per game. After the All-Star Game, he averaged 50.3% of his three-pointers per game!

Including Porzinski, the Hawks signed four space points in the offseason to strengthen the lineup, try their best to make the Trae Young pick-and-roll system operate as comfortably as possible, and strive for results in the new season. After all, they cannot perform badly in the next two seasons.

The Hawks are not in a hurry to renew Trae Young's contract. They vigorously train young players and develop two-line team building ideas at the same time.

Trae Young has two years left on his contract, worth 46 million in the new season and 48.97 million player options in the 2026-27 season. He is eligible to renew his four-year, $229 million contract this summer, but the Hawks did not provide an extension offer. He can jump out of his contract and become a completely free agent in the summer at the earliest. In order to avoid the risk of losing star players in vain, the Hawks must either renew Trae Young's contract or send him away before the 2026 trade deadline at the latest.

Trae Young led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 playoffs. Since then, the Hawks have stopped in the first round for two consecutive years and missed the playoffs for two consecutive years. He is 185 centimeters and 74 kilograms. He is relatively short and thin and can easily be targeted by defenses. Although he averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season and was elected as the league's assist leader, he also averaged 4.7 turnovers per game and had a true shooting percentage of 49.1%. His efficiency and size severely restricted his upper limit of leading the team..

The Hawks have increased their efforts in cultivating young players. In the new season, Jaylen Johnson has begun to execute a four-year, 120 million contract, and Daniels has entered the fourth year of his rookie contract. Okongwu and Risashe are both key training targets for the Hawks. The Hawks have four young players, especially Jaylen Johnson, Daniels, and Risashe, who are more suitable to be the cornerstone of the team than Trae Young in terms of size and comprehensiveness in the future.

The Hawks management has a very clear idea. It is not in a hurry to renew Trae Young. It has two lines of thinking at the same time: Trae Young leads the team to achieve results, and he has 1+1 player options. At the same time, he cultivates Risashe, Daniels, Jaylen Johnson, and Okongwu, leaving a backup plan for future trades or letting Trae Young go.

The 27-year-old Trae Young is the current anchor of the Hawks. The Hawks' first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 are in the hands of the Spurs, so they can only bite the bullet and continue to rush; 23-year-old Jaylen Johnson, 20-year-old Risashe, 22-year-old Daniels, and 24-year-old Okongwu represent the future of the Hawks.