One reason Kevin Durant should consider every NBA team
By Brad Rowland
Atlanta Hawks – Creating the NBA’s best frontcourt
Al Horford. Paul Millsap. Kevin Durant.
That seems pretty good.
The Atlanta Hawks reached the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals and, if not for an encounter with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers a round earlier in 2016, the organization may have made the trip in two consecutive seasons. The Hawks are in an interesting position in their own right because Al Horford is an unrestricted free agent, but with some salary cap gymnastics, Atlanta could offer Durant a max contract and retain Horford’s services for the long-term.
If they could pull that off, Atlanta would immediately vault into the realm of an NBA contender, as this is probably a 50-win core that would be adding an elite piece. The Hawks have an upper-echelon head coach in Mike Budenholzer and two top-30 talents in Horford and Millsap, making this an appealing destination for Durant.
Beyond the basketball side, Atlanta is a huge market that craves stardom and Durant would be the first legitimate superstar since Dominique Wilkins left town. It would be wildly interesting to see Durant and LeBron James go head-to-head in the East, and the Hawks are one of the (very) few franchises that could argue Durant has an easy path to championship glory given their current roster make-up. This would be fun.
Next: Boston Celtics