Outlook of Hawks roster

The good vibrations from a 47-win season and first-round playoff series win were undone by the four-game sweep against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But it’s hard to dismiss all the Hawks accomplished in their best season of this century, so to speak.

Enlarge this image

Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com

Hawks captain Joe Johnson made his third consecutive All-Star appearance this season but struggled throughout the playoffs.

MORE ON THE HAWKS

• Schedule • Beat Blog • Stats
• Player pages: Josh Smith
• Roster outlook | Free agents

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

“I don’t think you do all that and rank as one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference without being a pretty good team,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “You have to tip your hat to the guys in our locker room because they made it happen. They made it happen.

“We all set goals, and sometimes goals are not always reached. But we were able to get it accomplished with all the people out there betting against us. And that speaks volumes for the guys in our locker room.”

What that locker room looks like going forward remains to be seen. With the June NBA draft and the start of the July free agency free-for-all still to come, it should be a while before things begin to take shape. Woodson is entering the final year of his contract, and only seven of 15 players are signed through next season.

A brief look back and peek ahead at the players on the Hawks’ roster:

UNDER CONTRACT

Joe Johnson, guard

• Vitals: 6-foot-7, 240 pounds

• 2008-09 stats: 21.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds

• Signed through: 2009-10

• Next season’s salary: $14.9 million

• Outlook: Johnson made his third consecutive All-Star appearance this season but struggled throughout the playoffs. No doubt worn down by playing more than 3,100 minutes during the regular season, he’ll enter the final year of his five-year deal with major decisions to make about his future.

Josh Smith, forward

• Vitals: 6-9, 245

• 2008-09 stats: 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists

• Signed through: 2012-13

• Next season’s salary: $10.8 million

• Outlook: Smith led the Hawks in points, rebounds, blocks and steals during the playoffs, proving once again that he can raise his game to higher levels when necessary. But he still has plenty of room to improve his overall arsenal, particularly his shooting stroke from outside the paint.

Al Horford, center/forward

• Vitals: 6-10, 245

• 2008-09 stats: 11.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists

• Signed through: 2010-11

• Next season’s salary: $4.3 million

• Outlook: Injuries to his right ankle (12 games during the regular season and again in the playoffs) overshadowed a standout sophomore season for Horford, whose offensive repertoire must expand if he’s going command the sort of low-post attention needed to balance the Hawks’ offensive attack.

Mo Evans, guard/forward

• Vitals: 6-5, 220

• 2008-09 stats: 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds

• Signed through: 2010-11

• Next season’s salary: $2.5 million

• Outlook: Another member of the Childress bailout strategy, Evans turned out to be the Hawks’ most dependable player, starting 26 games in relief of Williams and Johnson during the regular season and another eight in the playoff for Williams.

Acie Law IV, guard

• Vitals: 6-3, 202

• 2008-09 stats: 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds

• Signed through: 2010-11

• Next season’s salary: $2.7 million

• Outlook: Law’s first two seasons as the Hawks’ point guard of the future have been a bust because of injuries and the fact that he has played an average of 12.8 minutes in 111 career games. Don’t be surprised to see the sides decide to part ways this summer, with Law in search of more playing time.

Speedy Claxton, guard

• Vitals: 5-11, 170

• 2008-09 stats: 2.5 points, 1.5 assists

• Signed through: 2009-10

• Next season’s salary: $5.7 million

• Outlook: The Speedy Claxton experiment got off to a shaky start when an injury derailed his first season. He never recovered, missing the next two seasons with injuries and inactivity after Bibby arrived. His expiring contract is a huge piece to the Hawks’ draft and free-agent puzzle this summer.

Randolph Morris, center

• Vitals: 6-11, 275

• 2008-09 stats: 0.9 rebounds, 0.8 points

• Signed through: 2009-10

• 2009-10 salary: $855,189

• Outlook: Morris never earned enough playing time for anyone to truly evaluate what he could give this team. He played only 89 minutes during the regular season and eight in the postseason.