3. Atlanta Hawks
Things kind of…suck in Atlanta right now. Not the television show. It’s still awesome. But the Hawks. Things suck.
Dennis Schroder might not be good enough to lead the team past 25 wins. Kent Bazemore might not be good enough to be the second best player on a playoff team. John Collins is too raw. Mike Muscala is Mike Muscala. Taurean Prince is a small beacon of hope, but even he just might not be good enough. At least, not on Atlanta.
The Hawks were the model franchise a few years ago. Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague were so good that the NBA combined them into one player and awarded them the Player of the Month in 2015.
It’s not 2015. All five guys have moved on and left the cupboard bare.
Enter, Kawhi Leonard.
Kawhi needs to get out of his San Antonio shell. We’ve seen the commercials. He’s funny. He has a personality that extends beyond non-facial expression and cliche answers. San Antonio Kawhi is married with two kids. He drives a mini-van and works a nine-to-five job where he’s overworked and underpaid. Atlanta Kawhi is a freshman in college.
Who cares what Atlanta gives up. They should give up anyone not named John Collins because Collins & Kawhi is a law firm waiting to happen.
The only issue here is that Leonard could become a free agent after next season and people don’t like staying in Atlanta all that long. It’s cool for like, a weekend, but after that you’re ready to go back to your wife and two kids. But it’s a risk that the Hawks need to take because things…suck in Atlanta.