5 teams that got better during 2020 NBA free agency

2. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the few teams that entered free agency with a substantial amount of cap space, and they did not let it go to waste.

Shortly after free agency began, the Hawks came to terms with Danilo Gallinari on a three-year, $61.5 million contract. Although the 32-year-old isn’t on the same developmental curve as All-Star point guard Trae Young and the rest of the Hawks’ young core, he should be a brilliant stretch-4 complement to paint-bound center Clint Capela in particular.

A few days later, the Hawks signed Bogdan Bogdanovic to a four-year, $72 million offer sheet that the Sacramento Kings ultimately declined to match. Sacramento’s loss will be Atlanta’s gain, as Bogdanovic figures to slide right into the Hawks’ starting lineup and take some of the scoring and creation load off Young’s shoulders.

Gallinari and Bogdanovic were the Hawks’ main prizes of free agency, but they also rounded out their depth chart well with a few savvy signings.

Although Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million) won’t provide much offensively, his defensive upside should earn him a spot in the Hawks’ rotation, particularly alongside Young at times. Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) is no longer an All-Star-caliber floor general, but he should keep the Hawks’ offense afloat whenever Young is off the floor. Solomon Hill is little more than a depth signing, but it’s still noteworthy when a rebuilding team adds rotation-level talent on a minimum deal.

Head coach Lloyd Pierce now has the unenviable task of figuring out how all of the Hawks’ new pieces fit together and how to feed everyone enough touches to keep them happy. But having too much depth is a first-world problem that the Hawks would undoubtedly prefer over the alternative.