Hawks’ exec makes ‘best offseason’ declaration after blockbuster moves

The Atlanta Hawks came into the offseason with a goal in mind, and it was to be better than they were last season. After falling short of the playoffs, the Hawks knew it was time to take the next step, and that’s what they did with the flurry of moves of made.

During draft night, they traded the No. 13 pick to move back to No. 23, and drafted Asa Newell while also taking the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected first-round pick for next year. The Hawks’ front office seemed to be excited about those moves, according to a coach on the team.

“The draft was a homerun for us. We got that extra pick. (Note: this is the best of the Pelicans/Bucks 2026 first-round pick.) And we nailed our pick with Asa Newell. He’s something different from our other frontcourt guys. The goal for this year for him: Play really hard, run the floor and mix it up on defense. Keep it simple and build from there,” the coach said via Keith Smith Spotrac.

Newell showed off his skills in the Las Vegas Summer League, and he was one of the better players on the floor in those two weeks. There’s a good chance he won’t see many minutes in his first season with the team, and he’ll most likely continue his development with the College Park Skyhawks.

Hawks make big moves during offseason

Outside of the draft, the Hawks made some big moves, trading for Kristaps Porzingis and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard in free agency. With those moves, the team thinks they had one of the best offseasons in the entire league, according to a front office executive.

“I know that’s confident, but we got Kristaps (Porzingis) in a trade and signed Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) and Luke (Kennard). Who else added three players that good?” the front office executive said. “Those are big-time players who all fill needs for us. We’re going to be deep and really versatile next season. We won’t put any kind of expectations on our group, but we’re not putting any kind of artificial limits on them either.”

The Hawks have now formed a team that could be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference, especially looking at the current state of some of the teams. If the team can stay healthy, it would not be a surprise if they were one of the top teams in the conference.