The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a full-on rebuild and likely headed for one of the top picks in the NBA Draft. Other than John Collins, Taurean Prince and Dennis Schroder, nothing on this roster would appear to be an essential part of the team’s long term plans. Whichever talent they add at the top of this year’s draft could help the roster take shape but for now adding talent without sacrificing the future would seem to be a great way to keep moving.
Clarkson has another two years left on his deal at more than $11 million but that’s not a huge cost, especially considering the Hawks me be at least two years away from really trying to put any finishing touches on what they’re building. Clarkson could add some more offense and another shot creator to a team that relies a lot on Schroder. He’s not good enough to ruin the tank but could at least provide some structure for some of the other young players.
Atlanta could send out Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli, two expiring contracts to help clear space for the Lakers. In fact, dropping Ilyasova and Belinelli might even lower the bottom line for the Hawks this season and help their draft odds.