Have the Hawks Positioned Themselves as a Top-Four Team in the East with Their Recent Moves?

"The East is wide open, and the Hawks said ‘say less. Come here, come here, you come here.' Man, they re-stacked and retooled this team, if you’re an Atlanta Hawks fan, I only know two, Steve Smith and Taylor Rooks, speaking specifically to y’all. You give me s**t every year talking about the Hawks and this and that. Man, all the tools that they brought in with the young pieces, with the coach, I think on paper, the Hawks jumped where Orlando is going to be, I think so. If everyone comes back healthy, I think the Hawks on paper, are a better team than Orlando.”

The Hawks have addressed their issues compared to years past, particularly in terms of three-point shooting and playing good defense, as they recently acquired Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. The interesting thing about all of this is that the Hawks aren't necessarily done with making moves, as they have three roster spots to fill.

Yesterday, I shared my thoughts on whether the Hawks decide to acquire another free agent and who they should consider. My two personal favorites to see added to this roster would be either veterans Chris Boucher or Gary Payton II. Let's take a look at why I would choose them:

"While Atlanta has addressed the team's needs in terms of defense and shooting, there is still room for growth in these areas, and adding the veteran presence of Chris Boucher would be beneficial. It is worth noting that Chris Boucher is a two-time back-to-back NBA Champion, having won with both the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Boucher, 32, is still relatively young but has enough experience to lead the second unit for the Hawks, averaging 10 points per game, along with 4.5 rebounds, on 49/36/78% shooting splits in 50 games for the Raptors. His defensive rating for his career is 109.7 which gives him around average of the league's defensive ratings and would be a reliable option in terms of being a veteran mentor for this younger group of guys in Atlanta."

"While Atlanta has addressed the team's needs in terms of defense and shooting, there is still room for growth in these areas, and adding the veteran presence of Chris Boucher would be beneficial. It is worth noting that Chris Boucher is a two-time back-to-back NBA Champion, having won with both the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Boucher, 32, is still relatively young but has enough experience to lead the second unit for the Hawks, averaging 10 points per game, along with 4.5 rebounds, on 49/36/78% shooting splits in 50 games for the Raptors. His defensive rating for his career is 109.7 which gives him around average of the league's defensive ratings and would be a reliable option in terms of being a veteran mentor for this younger group of guys in Atlanta."

The other day, when free agency started, ESPN's Tim Bontemps shared his thoughts about what the Atlanta Hawks have been doing, and let's say he has some high expectations for the group:

"The Hawks have gotten a bunch of guys who want to be there who have shooting, perimeter defense. This is a team I think is now top four in the east, better than the Celtics that we see in these highlights, better than the Milwaukee Bucks, and Atlanta is on the rise under new basketball operations, Onsi Saleh and Coach Quin Snyder.”

Based on the moves the Hawks made and are planning on making, as well as with the circumstances at play heading into next season, I see a good opportunity for the Hawks to become a top-four team in the Eastern Conference, provided they stay healthy, as injuries have derailed their progress over the last few seasons. With the moves the Hawks organization has made as a whole this offseason, I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks are one of the top teams in the East for years to come.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

Who Are The Remaining Free Agents the Atlanta Hawks Should Target This Offseason?

Atlanta Hawks Announce They Have Officially Signed First-Round Pick Asa Newell

Did the Hawks Get Better? Grading Atlanta’s signing of Nickeil Alexander-Walker