National Basketball Association

Why the Atlanta Hawks are a darkhorse in Kevin Durant sweepstakes

Published Jun. 1, 2016 11:15 a.m. ET

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The Atlanta Hawks are perpetually on the outside looking in when it comes to luring All-Star talent in free agency. In the meantime, they've found success as a breeding ground by establishing a "San Antonio Spurs: East" culture of unselfish, altruistic basketball. Guys like Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll and Kent Bazemore have all seen their careers take a dramatic upward turn after arriving in Atlanta.

Unfortunately, this team isn't young, and the environment head coach Mike Budenholzer is trying to arrange can't sustain itself without franchise-carrying players in house. Millsap is 31, Al Horford turns 30 on June 3 and Korver is 35. Horford is an unrestricted free agent, to boot, meaning Atlanta's new institution may crumble before it yields any prolonged success. 

But one free agent can change all that this summer: Kevin Durant. The Hawks are expected to make a push, and Durant should listen (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution):

This obviously makes no sense if Horford flees, but the four-time All-Star's cap hold is still low enough for the Hawks to offer Durant a max contract and then re-sign him afterward. As previously mentioned, a Durant-Millsap-Horford frontline would equal destruction. Only the Spurs had a better defense last season, and throwing Durant's pterodactyl arms into the mix would make the Hawks even more devastating on that end, especially after watching all he was capable of in the Western Conference Finals. 

In this scenario, Dennis Schröder or Jeff Teague can then be traded for another shooter, and the Hawks would, in all likelihood, reach the Eastern Conference Finals. But are they fearsome enough to win it all? Sure!

Durant is the best stretch four in the game, and adding him to a team that's already set at power forward means either Millsap or Horford would have to spend more time than they want on the bench. But that's ultimately a good problem to have. A case can be made that Durant's current teammate Serge Ibaka is a younger, less injury-prone version of Horford in the stretch-five role, but Horford is far more comfortable creating his own shot, drawing fouls in the post and running offense from the elbows. 

He's an upgrade. And, much like the Thunder showed throughout their valiant playoff run, the Hawks could be just as flexible. With Durant playing the Carroll/Bazemore role, this team could go big or small without losing any punch on offense. The Hawks could spread the floor with willing passers at every position. 

It'd be a nightmare to guard and a nightmare to stop. Teague, or whoever Atlanta is able to acquire for Teague/Schröder in a trade, isn't Russell Westbrook, but Atlanta also isn't in the Western Conference, where annual runs through San Antonio and Golden State make winning a championship incredibly difficult. 

If Millsap opts out of his contract next summer, Atlanta would have enough cap space to sign another max player, in a class that includes old pals Westbrook and Ibaka, but also Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Steph Curry, Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin and maybe even LeBron James. 

A ton can change between now and then, but the Hawks would instantly transform into a legitimate destination with Durant and Horford locked into long-term deals. Durant would have an easier path to the top next season, and can be a pillar for Budenholzer's vision in the years beyond. It's highly unlikely any of this happens, just because there's no precedent and it'd be a risk relative to other options on the table, but Atlanta is one team Durant should at least consider.

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