The Hawks have not ruled out any options when it comes to potential deals they could make ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft. But, they’re comfortable with the homework they’ve completed to this point.
“We’re comfortable,” Hawks general manager Landry Fields said Friday. “The draft and the spectrum of possibilities, I think that that’s most likely what happens is picking at (No.) 15. But we’re still looking at options to move up, some options where if we want to move back because we do feel like it is, I guess the word is strong, but I think there’s a lot of depth there.”
Over the past month, the Hawks have welcomed over 100 players, some who they have not announced publicly, to the team’s practice facility for pre-draft workouts. Though the Hawks have gotten the chance to evaluate these players up close over the past few weeks, Fields said that the team’s assessments on them began earlier.
As the Hawks continue to weigh their options, they have homed in on trying to find the best available player who could fit the team’s needs long term.
“The draft is always the talent acquisition, that most likely pans out to be your best players in the future,” Fields said. “If you look at star players around the league, they’re still continuing to draft with them. And, you don’t necessarily get those types of players that 15. You got to go a little higher.
“But the balance is more so this is our opportunity to get guys with high upside. So it’s not necessarily positional need. It’s all about Hawks’ DNA and how they fit into the system that we’re building under (coach) Quin (Snyder) and ultimately, who they can become as players and the level of player that they can become. That’s all at the forefront of how we’re evaluating where we pick or who we pick.”
Last season the Hawks made several changes to the front office so that it “could be far more collaborative, far more communicative, and ultimately make better decisions.” They moved on from then-president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk, and Fields took up the mantle of being the key decision maker. They also promoted Kyle Korver to assistant general manger.
Eventually, the Hawks made the decision to part ways with Nate McMillan on Feb. 21 and five days later, they hired Snyder.
Fields has collaborated with Snyder and gotten his feedback on a range of players in which the team has shown an interest. It has given them insight into the system Snyder is looking to create and helps keep them all on the same page.
“That helps us in our decision-making process,” Fields said. “Unity has been one of our biggest values. And that does not mean alignment all the time, it means an absolute of conflict and commit. So we could sit at a table, here’s what every one has seen. And then ultimately, on draft night, when that pick comes, I have to make the decision for us.”
With the team currently holding picks No. 15 and No. 46, there is an understanding that the players they choose won’t immediately contribute. The Hawks have depth at plenty of positions, notably on the wing.
The Hawks selected wing AJ Griffin at No. 16 last year, and the 19-year-old cracked the rotation early in the season. Griffin played a little less toward the end of the season and didn’t earn many minutes in the Hawks’ first-round playoff appearance.
So, he’ll be looking to compete for more minutes after gaining a solid year of experience.
Of course, Griffin will face plenty of competition from some of the Hawks’ other young players, but also the team’s more established players. So, that could lead the Hawks to select a player who may need a little more time to develop.
“I love what we’re building from our development process,” Fields said. “Kyle’s been a huge part of that and really spearheading that from the personnel to the system and how we want the whole juncture to work. So he’s been crucial for that. And the way that we’re seeing the first fruits of it, I believe in that. So that’s also a benefit of taking guys that may not be ready for some time.”
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